This season, the WRC caravan heads to Chile in just over a week. Next year, Chile will be joined by Paraguay, where the anticipation for a WRC round is already building.
According to rumours, local drivers are thrilled by the chance to compete in WRC special stages in their home country.
Local rally driver Marco Galanti told Radio Nacional del Paraguay, part of the national broadcaster, that Paraguayan drivers have already started inquiring about Rally1 cars. According to Galanti, no fewer than nine local rally drivers are interested in renting top-level Rally1 equipment for the Paraguay WRC round, which will take place in August next year.
As Galanti mentioned in the interview, renting and transporting nine additional Rally1 cars to South America may not be feasible. However, these are merely expressions of interest, so the actual number of renters is likely to be smaller.
WRC teams like M-Sport Ford and Toyota Gazoo Racing have previously rented out their Rally1 cars to drivers outside their teams. For example, last year, M-Sport transported an extra Ford Puma Rally1 car to Chile for local rally star Alberto Heller.
The WRC Rally Paraguay will be based in the city of Encarnacion, along the Paraná River. The event is expected to draw many fans from Argentina, located across the river. Fans can cross the international bridge from the city of Posadas in Argentina to Encarnacion on the Paraguayan side.
The special stages will run through the Itapua region, the same area that hosts a gravel rally as part of the South American rally championship.
The Rally Paraguay will take place from August 28-31 next year. The Chile WRC round will follow two weeks later.
Paraguay’s rally has a contract with the WRC Promoter for the years 2025-27.
