The Power Stage is a WRC special stage that usually runs as the final stage of a rally in the World Rally Championship (WRC) and the European Rally Championship (ERC). Additional championship points are available to the fastest five crews through the stage regardless of where they actually finished in the rally. Due to the often incredibly small margins and dead heats on stages the power stages are timed to a thousandth of a second, unlike the normal stages which are timed to a tenth of a second.
The stage format was introduced as a regular feature in 2011. It was aimed at keeping the competion alive until the last stage. Drivers with a comfortable time buffer between them and the ones ahead and behind will drive to maintain the buffer towards the end of the rally. The Power Stage gives drivers incentive to push for further points on the last stage of the rally.
