Rally Chile, part of the World Rally Championship calendar, will be run on gravel in mid-September. A total of 49 crews have entered the rally.
In the WRC’s top category, one guest star will line up, as Chilean driver Alberto Heller once again starts his home rally in an M-Sport Ford Puma Rally1. Heller, 31, last competed in a Puma at Rally Chile in 2023, when he was forced to retire once but eventually finished 15th overall.
The main class battle features 11 cars in total: five Toyotas (Elfyn Evans, Kalle Rovanperä, Sébastien Ogier, Takamoto Katsuta, Sami Pajari), three Hyundais (Ott Tänak, Thierry Neuville, Adrien Fourmaux) and three M-Sport Fords (Grégoire Munster, Josh McErlean, Alberto Heller).
The entry list also gave the final confirmation that Toyota’s part-time driver Sébastien Ogier will contest both South American rounds – next week in Paraguay and two weeks later in Chile.
Last year, Rally Chile ended in celebration for Kalle Rovanperä, while his team-mate Elfyn Evans secured a one-two finish for Toyota. The same duo will once again be chasing success on gravel, but Ogier, along with Hyundai’s Ott Tänak and Thierry Neuville, are also strong contenders for the top spots.
The WRC2 category in Chile has attracted 19 crews, including almost all of the leading drivers. Championship leader Oliver Solberg will face challenges from the likes of Yohan Rossel, Gus Greensmith, Jan Solans, Emil Lindholm and Nikolay Gryazin.
Rally Chile will be held around the city of Concepción from 11–14 September, featuring a total of 16 special stages.
Before heading to Chile, the WRC season continues in Paraguay next week. Paraguay will host a World Rally Championship round for the very first time.
