Gran Canaria will host a World Rally Championship round for the first time at the end of April. On Tuesday evening, the event organisers revealed that a total of 63 crews have entered the rally.
The full entry list will be officially published next Monday, 31 March. However, organisers have already lifted the veil slightly: the rally will feature ten Rally1 crews, 38 Rally2 cars, eight Rally3 entries, six Rally4 cars, and one Rally5 machine.
Of these figures, attention is naturally drawn to the number of Rally1 cars. When adding up the full-season drivers from the three top-tier teams – Toyota, Hyundai, and M-Sport Ford – the total comes to nine.
In other words, one entry is either a so-called part-time driver or one of the teams has hired out a Rally1 car to a customer.
According to speculation, that ‘extra car’ may well belong to Sebastien Ogier. There have already been rumours suggesting that Toyota’s part-time driver Ogier could make his next WRC appearance in the Canary Islands, but now those rumours have clearly gained momentum.
Ogier competed in the season-opening Rally Monte Carlo, which he went on to win. Since then, he has taken a break from competition, sitting out the events in Sweden and Kenya. Ogier is expected to contest around half of the championship’s rounds this year.
The Rally Islas Canarias would suit Ogier perfectly. It is a pure tarmac event with minimal dirt dragged onto the roads from corner cuts. In many ways, it can be compared to the WRC Rally Catalunya, last held in 2022 – a rally Ogier has won four times in his career.
If Ogier does head to Gran Canaria, he would undoubtedly be among the main favourites to win. Toyota would also benefit from fielding an exceptionally strong trio – Ogier, Elfyn Evans, and Kalle Rovanperä – in the fight for manufacturers’ points.
It is therefore quite possible that we will see five Toyota Rally1 cars in the Canary Islands. In that case, Takamoto Katsuta would compete without the pressure of scoring manufacturers’ points, while Sami Pajari would continue in his usual role as part of Toyota’s second-string line-up.
The Canary Islands WRC round will take place from 24–27 April on the island of Gran Canaria. The rally headquarters is located in the city of Las Palmas.
