- Italy’s slot in October could be held in either Sardinia or Rome
- Rally Finland confirmed on WRC schedule until 2031
- Europe remains important market with Germany and Ireland in discussions
The World Rally Championship (WRC) is evaluating a new race in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region for 2027, with Australia, New Zealand and Indonesia all under consideration.
One of the most noteworthy parts of WRC’s calendar announcement for 2026 was the decision to swap the dates for Japan and Italy. It has now been revealed this was a very intentional move from organisers.
“It puts Japan in an area of the calendar where we can hopefully add another event in that region without interfering with sea freight schedules in 2027 or beyond,” said Simon Larkin, event director for WRC Promoter, at Rally Finland – which has had a five-year contract extension confirmed until 2031.
“We’ve always said we have the aspiration to have more than one event in the Asia-Pacific region. This now means that can be paired a little better because there’s quite a long slot from Japan in May to South America in August.”
The expectation is that an announcement could be made in the next couple of months due to the level of interest in joining the WRC schedule.
Larkin continued: “New Zealand wants to come back. We’re in discussions with a government in Australia, Indonesia – they’re the main ones in the region at the moment.”
Larkin confirmed that North Sumatra would be the intended destination for a rally in Indonesia, should an agreement be reached.
As part of Japan’s shift on the schedule, Italy’s round will now take place much later in the season. Eagle-eyed observers have noted that ‘Sardinia’ has been dropped from the event’s title, another intentional decision by organisers.
“There is an ambition to move the event to Rome,” Larkin explained. “We moved it to [October] because it suits as a suitable slot for either location, whether that’s for next year or the year after that.”
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Outside of the APAC region, WRC has further interest from countries in Europe, most notably from events that already form part of the European Rally Championship (ERC) calendar. This is a continuation of WRC’s existing strategy that has seen Latvia and Poland join the global schedule in recent years.
Latvia is already exploring a return to the WRC calendar, having last featured in 2024. The main challenge for WRC is managing strong demand within a limited schedule. The championship currently features 14 rallies and would only expand to 15 if the right opportunity arises.
This has already been seen with the proposed event in the US, which was expected to join the 2026 schedule but ultimately fell through. Also missing from the 2026 calendar is the Central European Rally (CER), potentially opening up new opportunities for European events.
“It’s unfortunate to lose CER,” said Larkin. “There are key reasons for that on both sides of the table … we continue to have discussions with ADAC [General German Automobile Club] about Germany. In the UK, there remain a couple of very strong possibilities.”
Despite Larkin name-checking the UK, it’s neighbouring Ireland that instead looks the most likely destination for WRC. The rally has hovered on the fringes of the schedule in recent years.
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