Spain is back on the World Rally calendar: the Canary Islands will host tests in 2025 and 2026

He Canary Islands Rally will debut in 2025 at World Rally Championship (WRC)for its acronym in English) after four decades as a European championship scoring event, with a commitment spanning two seasons and representing Spain’s return to the international circuit after a two-year absence.

This Monday the signing of the agreement took place in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria where the promoters of the rally, the Canarian institutions, the Royal Spanish Automobile Federation (RFEA) and the general management of the WRC commit to the development of the event in the framework of the world cup, replacing the archipelago in the Costa Dorada Rallyin Catalunya, which until two years ago was the Spanish test within the championship.

The sponsor of the Canary Islands Rally, German Moraleswas happy to have achieved what the organizers of the event had “aspired” to since they began half a century ago, for which he thanked everyone who made it possible, from institutions to sponsoring companies, forces security and motor. island entertainment

Morales, in a press conference, said that this path was “long, not without difficulties”, to the point that he assured that at first the directors of the WRC “did not trust the Canary Islands much”, but it Come. on the islands for the first time and start to see it possible.

In that sense, the general director of the WRC, Jonah Seibelsaid that they are “very excited” to announce the return of the World Cup to Spain in 2025, and that it will be held for the first time in the Canary Islands.

“They have shown for many years that they can organize a high-level rallywe are very convinced that it will be successfully developed”, he insisted and then added that they have “important partners who know from the beginning the important benefits that a test of this caliber can bring”, as well as a great love for sports.

An impression shared by the RFEA president and vice president of the International Automobile Federation (FIA), Manuel Aviño: “Spain and the Canary Islands are a reference in the world, I say this with conviction because we have the best organization, the best fans, the best weather, the best landscapes and the best sections.”

For this reason, he did not hesitate to point out that this is a “great day” for motorsports in Spain and its fans, because it is possible to “recover something that should never have been lost.”

Based on the agreement signed on Monday, and which must be endorsed by the FIA ​​committee, the Rally Islas Canarias will become a WRC event in Spain for two seasons, in 2025 and 2026, a year that also coincides with the 50th. anniversary of the island trial.

So far, and since 1982, The rally has become a scoring event in the European championship in various modeswhich led to many important drivers passing through the roads of the island to compete in the sections of the highest level.

On the part of the institutions, both the Government of the Canary Islands, the Cabildo of Gran Canaria and the City Council of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria guarantee their commitment to holding the exam, highlighting the “milestone” it represents for region that an event sport at this level will be held on its territory.

Both mayors of the city, Carolina Dariaslike the insular president, Antonio Moraleshighlighted the benefits that Gran Canaria has in hosting this type of event, especially for its strong public services, its extensive hotel capacity, its attractions beyond the event itself and the excellent its connection to air and sea.

For his part, the president of the Government of the Canary Islands, Fernando Clavijoshowed his “strong” defense of public-private collaboration to achieve milestones like this Monday and, moreover, appealed, as happened in the Canary Islands Rally so far, for the collaboration of the administrations ” regardless of each other’s color.”