A classic route for the debut of the Paraguay Rally in the WRC

The World Rally Championship will feature three new events this year, including two in countries that will be appearing in the WRC for the first time. After the Canary Islands (April 24-27), competitors will head to Paraguay at the end of August (August 28-31) and then to Saudi Arabia (November 27-30). The organizers of the South American round have unveiled their route.

Published 09/04/2025 à 09:20

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A classic route for the debut of the Paraguay Rally in the WRC

For its WRC debut, the Paraguay Rally will offer a classic route (Photo: Paraguay Rally)

Benefiting from significant support from the State and President Santiago Pena, the rally Paraguay will make its first appearance in WRC This year, the event will take place in the far south of the country, with Encarnacion (361 km from the capital Asuncion) as the host city, which is on the border with Argentina, just across the bridge spanning the Rio Parana.

The emphasis has been placed on the compact nature of the event, and with a total of just 952 km, the Paraguayans will delight crews who don't enjoy long liaison stages. With the stages close to the service park, this will offer unusually pleasant schedules in the WRC. While the organizers had the opportunity to make an impression during their first WRC entry by offering a program radically different from what is done elsewhere, they preferred to stick to a very classic format.

After the 4,92 km shakedown on Thursday starting at 8:01 a.m. (14:01 p.m. in Europe), the evening start ceremony should be an exciting one to watch. The stage layout won't be anything out of the ordinary. For a first attempt, that's understandable, but the country seemed to have the potential to really stand out. Groups of special stages will be contested first in the morning and then in the afternoon, with a return to service mid-stage.

Friday to the east of the park promises to be the toughest with 140 km of timed stages including a 30 km SS (Yerbatera) which might earn a small name in the pantheon of special stages. The 2^e The day will move away from the Argentinian border towards the west of the city. To satisfy the public who will be discovering the WRC, 3 passages are planned on the short section (2,50 km) nicknamed Autodromo (SS4-8-12). A special mention must be given to Sunday since 80 km will be run north of Encarnacion which will fully justify the points distributed at the end of this stage alone. With two SS of more than 18 km, there could still be twists and turns at the end of the 334,52 km timed stage announced.