A round of the WRC will be held in Paraguay this weekend. It is an entirely new event, so everyone will start on an equal footing.
Old pace notes are of no help now, and drivers will only get their first impression of the new rally’s character during recce.
Competing in the WRC2 category in Paraguay, Fabrizio Zaldivar will fulfil a great dream on gravel – he will be able to compete for the first time in his career in front of his home crowd in the WRC.
Zaldivar, 24, is also one of the few who have experience of Paraguay’s gravel roads. And it is very fresh experience indeed, as he prepared for Rally Paraguay by taking part in Rally de Caaguazú in the second week of August.
Zaldivar therefore knows much better than many others what to expect in a technical gravel rally, and he also has some strong words of warning for his rivals.
“The weather forecast is showing we can get some rain but I hope we don’t get rain because when it rains here, it’s proper rain, Kenya style,” Zaldivar told Dirtfish.
Zaldivar even reckons that rain could ruin the entire event.
“The road conditions here when it rains is total chaos,” he warns.
“It will be a proper disaster and the show would be over; it would not be good for the organizers, the drivers or the fans,” Zaldivar says.
And if Zaldivar’s words are not convincing enough, anyone can look up photos and videos from Rally Trans Itapúa, held in Paraguay. Rally Paraguay is strongly based on that event, and over the years it has seen some truly heavy downpours.
“I’m crossing my fingers for rain to stay away,” Zaldivar says.
Rally Paraguay will be held from 28–31 August.
