WRC States It Postponed US Rally to 'Ensure It’s Done Correctly from the Start'

      WRC Promoter GmbH/Red Bull Content Pool

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      The World Rally Championship unveiled its 2026 schedule yesterday, which unfortunately lacked a U.S. round—a development that, while disappointing, wasn’t unexpected. Many fans were looking forward to the country’s first rally in almost 40 years being included, but despite four test and training events of varying sizes starting from 2023, including a demonstration and candidate rally, the WRC and its partners have yet to finalize a Tennessee event. However, this doesn’t indicate that organizers are giving up; the sport's commercial body informed The Drive that efforts are ongoing, with a target now set for 2027.

      “A key objective for a significant market like the USA has always been to ensure we ‘get it right the first time,’” a spokesperson from WRC Promoter shared in a statement. “Given the extensive groundwork necessary to build the event from scratch, we are being understandably cautious about the inaugural year.

      “A Candidate Event planned for September will serve as the best ‘proof of concept’ while also providing a training opportunity for the entire U.S. rallying community to understand the standards of a modern WRC event, presenting an ideal evaluation platform. We are collaborating closely on this with the FIA, ACCUS, and ARA,” the statement added.

      The spokesperson also mentioned that additional training events, beyond the candidate rally in September, are scheduled at American Rally Championship events throughout the latter half of 2025.

      The last time the WRC hosted an official event in the United States, competitors were using cars like this. Pascal Rondeau/Getty Images

      The journey to reinstate a U.S. WRC round after the 1988 Olympus Rally in Washington has been lengthy, but that was to be expected. Organizing rallies is much more complex than simply taking over a racetrack, requiring coordination among multiple organizations. The statement highlighted some of these, including the FIA, its U.S. liaison ACCUS, and ARA, which is well-versed in the legal and logistical challenges of rallying in this country. Additionally, local government engagement is crucial, as representatives from Chattanooga’s tourism board traveled to Finland as COVID restrictions eased to gain insights into how to effectively integrate motorsports with the natural environment.

      While in Finland this weekend for the WRC, the topic of a U.S. rally was discussed during a media roundtable. Emilia Abel, the FIA's road sport director, noted that all involved parties concurred on the necessity for another year of preparation, highlighting that local organizers are adhering to “exactly the same requirements as the FIA,” according to Autosport.

      However, Abel was confident in asserting that 2027 would indeed be the target year. “Yes, confident, 100%. We’ve observed significant progress over the past month and see a committed team in place, so it’s certainly on the right track.” She mentioned that although “no official application yet” has been made for the September test, it is still on the planning agenda.

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