Ireland, Portugal, Norway join WRC

The three candidate events have been successful in gaining places on next year's calendar at the expense of the rounds in Cyprus, Turkey and Australia.

Crucially though is the abandonment, at least for now, of making the WRC a 'winter' championship.

A summer break was introduced into this year's schedule as the first step to a switch to a series that ran from summer to the spring of the following year. It was thought that the 2007 championship would have just eight or nine rounds, before a '07/08 season started in August of '07.

Following the World Motor Sport Council meeting in Paris today, the FIA has confirmed that the 2007 season will run over the traditional calendar format from January to December. It will however retain the new two-month summer break.

The final round will remain the Wales Rally GB, which will be preceded by the neighbouring event in Ireland.

The Norway round means that the WRC will now have two snow rallies.

Events is Jordan, South Africa and Poland have not been successful in gaining a spot on next year's calendar, however they could yet win a reprieve along with the lost events in Cyprus, Australia and Turkey.

The World Rally Championship Commission will decide whether to add further events to the 2007 calendar and will make a proposal at the next World Council meeting.

2007 FIA World Rally Championship:

19-21 January Rallye Automobile Monte-Carlo
09-11 February Swedish Rally
16-18 February Rally Norway
09-11 March Rally Mexico
30 March-01 April Rally de Portugal
04-06 May Rally Argentina
18-20 May Rally Italia-Sardinia
01-03 June Acropolis Rally of Greece
03-05 August  Rally Finland
17-19 August Rallye Deutschland
31 August-02 September Rally New Zealand
05-07 October Rallye de France - Tour de Corse
12-14 October Rallye de España
26-28 October Rally Japan
16-18 November Rally Ireland
30 November-02 December Rally GB