The Canary Islands Rally will join the WRC in 2025

Receiving numerous applications to join the WRC, the promoter of this championship can afford to study each destination in order to observe its strengths and negative points. In addition to holding discussions with Paraguay, Saudi Arabia and Ireland, WRC Promotor has reached an agreement with the organizers of the rally of the Canary Islands.

After 2 years of absence, Spain will return to the calendar, but for the first time, it will not be the Costa Brava nor the Costa Daurada which will host the World Cup (as they did between 1991 and 2022) , but the volcanic island of the Canary Islands in the Atlantic for 2025 and 2026. Like what happened for other rounds of theERC like Latvia or Poland, the Spanish event will make the elevator to the elite offering an interesting playing field and beautiful landscapes.

Organized since 1977, this rally, which was long called El Corte Inglés after the name of its sponsor, belonged very early to the European Championship (1982). He then joined the IRC (2010) and finally the ERC in 2016. For several years, he had shown his ambitions to join the WRC. The plan is to bring the event to the island of Gran Canaria in 2025 before celebrating its 50th^e anniversary in 2026 by expanding to other islands. “ The arrival of the Islas Canarias Rally in the WRC is the reward for many years of work, said Germán Morales, CEO of Club Deportivo Todo Sport, promoter of the event. It was a goal desired by several generations and now, with WRC Promoter, it is within reach. »

As for the city of Salou and the RACC which managed the Rally de Catalunya, this news should not really delight those who represented Spain in the WRC for so many years. Within the calendar, this arrival raises several questions concerning the other meetings on this surface. Will any of what is organized on the tarmac have to disappear? If Monte-Carlo should not be threatened like Japan, Croatia and Central Europe may ask themselves questions. Does this inscription also postpone the arrival of Ireland? Could there be 2 new trips on the tarmac in 2025? It seems that the Canaries have managed to “put the brakes” on the Irish who will undoubtedly have to wait before celebrating their arrival… if it ever happens.

Could the rise of the Canaries have positive consequences for other candidates? If for a period it was stated that the promoter no longer wished to integrate races on islands into its calendar due to logistical concerns in particular, the two upcoming editions perhaps mark a change in philosophy. The FFSA and the Corsican authorities now know that it is possible. Isn't that a nice challenge to take on?

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