RA Events, the organiser responsible for Latvia’s major sporting events, has entered into negotiations with the FIA to bring both the World Rally Championship and the European Rally Championship back to Latvia.
According to the plans, Latvia would host a round of the ERC in 2026 and WRC rounds in 2027 and 2028.
Negotiations are already well underway, according to RA Events CEO Raimonds Strokšs. Talks are ongoing with the Latvian government, local authorities, and sponsors.
However, the timeline is fairly tight. If the plan is to be realised, the negotiations must be concluded by 31 July.
“If we can find all the necessary answers and solutions together, we have the opportunity to organise a rally that will attract over 100,000 spectators,” Strokšs said, according to Estonia’s Ralli.ee.
Last year, Latvia hosted a WRC round for the first time. In 2024, Latvia took Estonia’s place on the WRC calendar. If the Latvians’ plan comes to fruition, it is very likely that Estonia will not be seen on the WRC calendar in 2027 and 2028. This comes as a surprise, as the original idea was for Latvia and Estonia to alternate hosting duties. It now appears that plans have changed.
WRC Promoter’s event director Simon Larkin has already confirmed that Latvia’s strong debut in the WRC in 2024 laid a solid foundation for continued cooperation.
The Latvian WRC round in 2024 already attracted 100,000 spectators on-site, with tens of millions more following the action on TV screens in 61 different countries.
The WRC round was also economically significant, bringing more than 24 million euros in regional revenue. The majority of the income came from foreign rally fans.
This season, Latvia is not part of the WRC calendar. Instead, neighbouring Estonia has taken its place, with Rally Estonia scheduled for mid-July.
