Bringing a new rally into the WRC calendar is always a huge challenge for organisers, but Paraguay handled the task excellently.
The atmosphere throughout the weekend was outstanding, and the organisation also worked very well. South America has traditionally been fertile ground for rallying, and the locals’ passion for the sport became very clear during the weekend.
“Quite positive, to be honest. The organisation has been good,” said Toyota’s Kalle Rovanperä.
“A lot of support from the police, also on the road sections. All the things went quite well on our side. The promotion has been good. So many fans — really nice to see the big passion of the fans and really nice support from them. So, in that sense, it was a good weekend,” Rovanperä added.
Rovanperä’s team-mate and close friend Takamoto Katsuta shared the same view.
“I think one of the best rallies I have ever been. I would say the organising was great — no cancelled stages, not even a delay,” Katsuta enthused.
“Everything went smoothly, even with a lot of traffic. But the police and the army did an amazing job to sort it out,” Katsuta continued.
Things were also meticulously arranged in the rally’s nerve centre, the service park.
“Service itself was also very nice in design and everybody enjoyed it. That is the most important thing, because normally, for example, my friend comes to see me and sometimes it’s boring — nothing else to do. But here you could enjoy the place. Very, very impressive,” Katsuta praised.
Hyundai’s Ott Tänak also gave top marks to the organisers.
“I have to be honest, generally I would say the organiser did very well considering it was the first time in the Championship with the crowds we had, and we had no delays and no cancelled stages,” Tänak said approvingly.
Rally Paraguay is also on the calendar for next season. Once again, it will take place at the end of August, with the journey continuing afterwards to Chile in mid-September, just as it did this year.
