Earlier this June, the WRC promoter announced a ten-year deal with Saudi Arabia. Besides the Middle East, the promoter has long expressed a desire to expand into the Chinese and US markets.
The rally in the US is set to happen in 2026, as the WRC promoter informed its key stakeholders earlier this spring about the project to bring the WRC back to the US. Negotiations with China have also been initiated.
“Of course if we wanted to speak of completing the set, I would be happy to admit that then it will be China. Peter was in China just last week. This is this is how we complete the set”, said the WRC event director Simon Larkin at the beginning of June in Sardinia.
“China will be the next strategic target”
Thul visited the headquarters of the Chinese Automobile Federation in Beijing and also had discussions with officials from various regions. And the target isn’t some remote area but one of China’s ever-growing metropolises.
“I was visiting the Chinese automotive Federation in Beijing. They are really keen to do that. But we have to do a complete reset to find the right area, to find the right promoter locally, to get the governmental support. We had some basic discussions with governmental authorities. They are quite positive,” Thul stated.
“They’re interested in the Greater Bay area. That means the big city, Shenzhen, Guangdong and Guangdong. Guangzhou has a inhabitants of 18 million people. his is now the new economic heart in the south of China”
Apparently, representatives from other cities also met with the head of the promotion company, according to Thul.
“And there are some cities also looking for. Getting tourists attracted. They want also to work on the image,” Thul emphasized.
“Now it’s about to find the right roads. And next step would be to go more concrete there and to check the possibilities. But we cannot ignore that.”
Could China bring a new car manufacturer?
Undoubtedly, China would be a huge market for the WRC. The country has several car manufacturers, so if China secures its place on the WRC map, it could potentially bring a new car manufacturer to the series in the long run.
“And it’s not only the rally, if you got the rally, maybe you get another manufacturer. So now it’s about to start,” Thul speculated.
“And in this area there are a lot of car manufacturers. There is BYD yes. Gac is there also and a lot of them. They are not only fully focussed on electric anymore, they are also bringing hybrids. They are selling more and more hybrids in China. And the Chinese government never stopped to develop combustion cars.”
Thul believes that the WRC is finally heading in the right direction. The rules for 2025-26 were confirmed on Tuesday evening, and now the focus is on 2027 to bring in new manufacturers. Lancia has already announced its return, although initially only with a Rally4 car.
“For me the best moment was last week was when Stellantis launched the Lancia. Okay, it is rally four, but imagine that Lancia is a purely committed company to full electric, and they go into motorsport with a full combustion car. That’s a great story,” Thul praised.
“I should not overinterpret that they will probably start on a national basis. They will probably come into the Junior European Rally Championship. But it’s a great perspective. It’s a story. Now the ball is in the field of the FIA to get a proper regulation as fast as possible, but I heard that the ongoing works, I’m quite optimistic we will have a proper regulation for 2027.”
A WRC rally was held in China in 1999, won by Didier Auriol. There was supposed to be another rally in China in 2016, but it was cancelled due to floods.
