That’s the firm belief of Iain Campbell, the ERC Championship Manager, who has also held roles as a clerk of the course and event steward on rounds of the WRC.
Subject to FIA World Motor Sport Council approval, the long-standing ERC contest will form part of the WRC schedule in 2025 and 2026. And Campbell is convinced the event will be a huge success as a round of the sport’s premier division.
“This is fantastic news for Rally Islas Canarias and very much deserved,” he said. “The organising team, which relies on a number of hard-working volunteers, is a great example of what attention to detail and dedication can do and this is the perfect reward for all their endeavour.”
Tet Rally Latvia and ORLEN-sponsored Rally Poland were both ERC rounds in 2023 but will host the WRC in 2024.
“It’s an extremely extensive process to organise a round of the WRC but there is no doubt, that like their counterparts in Latvia and Poland, the Rally Islas Canarias team has what it takes to be able to put on a spectacular and memorable show,” Campbell continued. “At the same time, it’s a great advert for the FIA European Rally Championship as it really showcases the level of the ERC events.”
Having been a coefficient round in the past, Rally Islas Canarias became a fully-fledged ERC event for the first time in 2013. It’s been a mainstay of the ERC calendar since 2016, including in 2020 and 2021 when the rally was held during the global health pandemic in accordance with several stringent safety and sanitary measures.
“Bringing Rally Islas Canarias to the WRC has been the reward for many years of work,” said Germán Morales, CEO of Club Deportivo Todo Sport, the event promoter. “It was a goal desired by several generations, and now, together with WRC Promoter, it has become within reach.”
This year’s Rally Islas Canarias counts as round two of the ERC season with Las Palmas de Gran Canaria hosting the action from 2 - 4 May.
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