Dakar Rally Continues to Captivate Enthusiasts with Expanded 2025 WRC Calendar
The World Rally Championship (WRC) is set to embark on an exciting new chapter, with plans to expand the calendar to 14 rounds for the 2025 season. This significant development was confirmed by WRC event director Simon Larkin, who revealed the details to Motorsport.com last week during Rally Poland.
“The calendar is basically ready, it’s a 14-event calendar,” Larkin stated, adding that the schedule would be presented to the FIA via an e-vote this month before its official release.
This expansion is part of the championship’s ongoing efforts to achieve a more global reach, with five “flyaway” rounds expected to be added to the mix.
The 2025 WRC calendar is set to feature several new additions, including the highly anticipated debuts of Paraguay and Saudi Arabia. These two countries will join the already contracted events in Chile, Kenya, and Japan, further diversifying the championship’s geographical footprint.
Additionally, the asphalt Rally Islas Canarias will graduate from the European Rally Championship (ERC) to the WRC for the first time, ensuring that Spain will be represented on the schedule once again after a hiatus in 2022.
With the inclusion of the new events, the WRC is poised to deliver an even more thrilling and challenging experience for both drivers and fans. As Larkin explained, the organizers are targeting a three-week window to host the two South American rounds, Paraguay and Chile, in an effort to ease the logistical burden on the teams.
This strategic move mirrors the approach adopted in 2019 when the championship successfully ran the Chile and Argentina rounds back-to-back, showcasing the WRC’s commitment to improving the overall experience for the competitors.
As the motorsport world eagerly awaits the official announcement of the 2025 WRC calendar, enthusiasts can look forward to a season filled with new challenges, diverse landscapes, and the continued excitement that has made the World Rally Championship a global phenomenon.
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