- First year of deal will see Rome remain on ERC schedule
- Lazio region to then host WRC until 2030 and signs on as a main sponsor of the event
The World Rally Championship (WRC) will return to mainland Italy from the 2027 season after WRC Promoter and the Italian Automobile Club (ACI) agreed a five-year commitment.
When the schedule for next season was announced, the Rally Italia event had dropped ‘Sardinia’ from its official title. The island has staged the event since 2021 but this name change prompted speculation of a move to Rome, which was then confirmed by WRC Promoter’s senior event director Simon Larkin.
“There is an ambition to move the event to Rome,” Larkin said at last month’s Rally Finland. “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.”
Ultimately, this did not come to fruition as Sardinia will continue to host the rally in 2026. Rome will remain on the European Rally Championship (ERC) calendar next season, serving as a dress rehearsal for 2027.
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When Rome joins the main WRC rotation, the Italian round of the ERC will shift to Sardinia between 2027 and 2030.
From 2027, Rally d’Italia will be staged in the wider Lazio region – the same year new cars and regulations are introduced to the WRC.
“We are confident that this agreement represents the best course of action for the future of top-level rallying in Italy,” said Larkin. “The decision to postpone the move until 2027 will give us the necessary time, together with the FIA, to best prepare the event in Rome, ensuring its success from the very first year.
“We are especially pleased to welcome the Lazio region as a main sponsor of the event and would like to thank President Francesco Rocca and councillors Elena Palazzo and Giancarlo Righini for their strong support and vision.
“Our thanks also go to the City of Rome for embracing the WRC – the commitment of Mayor Roberto Gualtieri and Councillor Alessandro Onorato is fundamental to delivering an event worthy of Italy’s proud rallying tradition and global stature.
“Our priority is to create a top-level event that can honour the history of rallying in Italy and project it toward an even brighter future.”
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