Gran Canaria hosted a World Rally Championship round for the first time last year. The asphalt event returns to the WRC calendar again this year, taking place as the fifth round at the end of April.
Last year, Rally Islas Canarias did not begin with a spectator super special stage. This time, however, the event will start from a truly iconic motor racing venue.
Organisers have confirmed that the rally will get under way with a new 2.6-kilometre super special stage at the Circuito Islas Canarias, a venue that hosted the legendary Race of Champions from 1992 to 2003.
Several big names were crowned Race of Champions winners on the island: Didier Auriol, Francois Delecour, Carlos Sainz, Colin McRae, Tommi Mäkinen, Harri Rovanperä, Marcus Grönholm and, most recently, Sebastien Loeb.
Located near the town of Telde, the Circuito Islas Canarias has traditionally been used for gravel competition, but for this year’s WRC event the track will receive an asphalt surface. The stage will be run in a head-to-head format, with two crews competing at the same time.
The inaugural Rally Islas Canarias ended with a dominant victory for Kalle Rovanperä, as Toyota also secured a one-two-three-four finish. This year, Rovanperä will not be defending his win, as he is competing in Japan’s Super Formula series.
Rally Islas Canarias takes place on 23–26 April. The season-opening Rally Monte Carlo will be held in three weeks’ time.
