The organizers of Croatia Rally confirmed yesterday that their event will not be included to the WRC calendar of 2025 saying that a delayed secure of some valuable documentations forced them out of the World Rally Championship.
FIA and WRC Promoter announced that Paraguay, Saudi Arabia and Islas Canarias will host a WRC round for the first time next year with the country from Middle East having signed a ten-year contract. Monte Carlo, Sweden, Greece, Chile, Sardinia, Central Europe, Japan, Portugal, Kenya and Finland are the countries which have renewed their deals with WRC Promoter and will host a WRC round in 2025. Latvia and Poland are set to stay out of WRC as Estonia will take their place in the championship. However, Croatia Rally has offered the most intense show of the decade as there have been the most closest finishes in WRC history since this event joined WRC back in 2021. WRC Promoter offered to the organizers of Croatia Rally a three-year extension for the period from 2025 to 2027, but they were not able to secure the necessary documentation to sign the contract, thus they lost their slot over Saudi Arabia, Paraguay and Islas Canarias. Finally, the organizers are aiming to join ERC next year and to sign a new contract with WRC Promoter for 2026 and 2027.
"After the successful organization of the WRC Croatia Rally 2023, we were offered a new three-year contract for the period from 2025 to 2027", the President of the Organizing Committee of the Croatia Rally, Daniel Saskin, explained.
"We attempted to secure all the necessary documentation for signing the contract and continuing the WRC competition in Croatia, specifically the guarantees from the local institutions.
"Unfortunately, to this day, we have not been able to obtain all of them completely.
"At this moment, the only realistic option we see is to be included in the European Rally Championship calendar in 2025, with a return to the WRC in the 2026 and 2027 seasons.
"Of course, the following year’s participation - in 2026 and 2027 depends on the guarantees from certain institutions, and we hope they will be issued soon.
"I would like to thank all the partners who stand by us.
"The support from the City of Zagreb has been extremely valuable in the current negotiations, as the timely decision by the city assembly confirmed a three-year support for the WRC project.
"I assure you that this is not the end of the story of the Croatia Rally, but institutions will need to act quickly.
"We certainly do not want to permanently lose the WRC, and there are many interested parties.
"The World Championship will be held in three countries for the first time next year.
"Therefore, it is already necessary to sign a contract with the WRC Promoter and FIA for the 2026 and 2027 seasons, but we cannot sign the contract without the guarantees from these institutions.
"WRC Promoter and FIA are under extreme pressure, with only 14 countries in the calendar and significantly more interested parties".
Photo Credits: Hyundai
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