Italy set for long-term WRC contract renewal

Italy appears set to host a round of the World Rally Championship and European Rally Championship for the foreseeable future with plans for a long-term commitment in the works.

Last weekend’s Rally Italy Sardinia marked the final event of its current contract with the WRC.

Sardinia’s rough gravel roads have hosted the WRC every year, barring 2009, since the event moved from Sanremo on the mainland in 2004. Italy has also been represented in the WRC by Rally Monza in 2020 and 2021, when COVID-19 restrictions were in place.

Italy has also been a mainstay on the ERC calendar that has seen the asphalt Rally Di Roma host a round since 2017.  

Italy’s sports minister Andrea Abodi visited last weekend’s event where discussions to secure Italy’s place on the WRC schedule from 2026 were held.   

“The Italian sports minister has been here today [Sunday] and we have had a couple of conversations, and what I can say is WRC and Italy are very aligned for a long-term commitment for both the WRC and the ERC,” WRC event director Simon Larkin told Autosport.

Autosport understands that Sardinia is likely to remain on the 2026 calendar, although there is still a desire from Rally di Roma organisers to see their event move to the WRC in the future, as reported last year. 

Should Rome receive the nod, it would need to expand its itinerary and most likely move its rally base away from the town of Fiuggi to accommodate all the teams and personnel. 

The WRC has welcomed a number of ERC rallies onto its schedule in recent years with Latvia and the Canary Islands graduating to the WRC in 2024 and 2025 respectively.    

The WRC is aiming to finalise its 2026 calendar by July. It has already recently secured a new deal with Rally De Portugal last month, while its main target is to add the USA to its schedule.

It was announced in the Canary Islands in April that there was a multi-year contract in place to host a gravel rally based out of Tennessee. The US joining the WRC calendar is however subject to the FIA approving the proposed 2026 calendar. 

The path to the 2026 calendar is currently being discussed with the national federation ACCUS and the sanctioning body, USA. Satisfying their requirements and concerns is also an important factor in meeting the timetable.