The question didn’t change, but it did keep on coming: when will the World Rally Championship be back in New Zealand? Visiting a few old friends in Aotearoa recently, the appetite seemed as strong as ever to see rallying’s top flight in the land of the long white cloud.
Back for the first time in a decade in 2022, two years on and people want more. And why wouldn’t they? Rally1 cars did their thing and wowed the North Island crowds, while Kalle Rovanperä camber-surfed his way to a victory which also clinched a maiden world title. Standing watching that story unfold at the spectacular, purpose-built Jack’s Ridge stage in Auckland’s suburbs was amazing. As was the return to Te Akau and Whaanga Coast.
That Rally New Zealand was something of a blueprint for how more traditional events can evolve to provide the WRC Promoter with what it needs in terms of media delivery, while also bringing classic Kiwi action for the stage-side fans.
And folk want more of the same. And sharpish. Sure, some dissenting voices question the multi-million-dollar investment required to bring a WRC round to town, but they’re not seeing the bigger picture. Granted, the service park’s not flooded with frontline metal right now, but it’s still some show when it lands.
At the time of writing, the WRC calendar is still being considered by stakeholders. DirtFish has seen a couple of incarnations date-wise, but we’ll wait for the official seasonal timeline to be delivered.
What we do know is that Sweden, Paraguay, Chile, Portugal, Safari, Sardinia, Canaries (Spain), Estonia, Finland, Greece, Central European Rally, Japan and Saudi Arabia are all under WRC Promoter agreement for 2025. The eagled-eyed among you will have noticed the absence of Monte Carlo. Don’t worry. The French Alps are expected to be included as the 14th round (obviously still running as the season opener) for next year – the promoter is currently working on a contract renewal with Automobile Club de Monaco.
It’s a good mix. Europe’s well represented with nine rounds, South America gets two, while Africa, Asia and the Middle East take one each. And there’s a 50:50 mix of old and new with Greece, Sweden, Portugal, Kenya, Finland, Sardinia (not as old-school as the others, but Italy and the island combine for qualification) and Monte providing the history.
