Gran Canaria beckons for the World Rally Championship, as the globe’s best rally drivers embark on a new adventure for world rallying.
Rally Islas Canarias’ history dates back to 1977, but 2025 is the first time the island event has featured on the WRC calendar – making this week a journey into the unknown for most.
The big news in the headline Rally1 field is the return of Sébastien Ogier – who makes his first WRC start since January’s Monte Carlo Rally.
As the only driver yet to beat his Toyota team-mate Elfyn Evans at an event this season, Ogier lines up fourth on the road behind the championship-leading Evans and Hyundai’s two world champions: Thierry Neuville and Ott Tänak.
Elfyn Evans (Toyota GAZOO Racing) arrives in control following a strong start to the season. After wins in Sweden and Kenya plus a podium at the season-opening Rallye Monte-Carlo, the Welshman holds a 36-point lead – the biggest margin ever recorded heading into the fourth round of a WRC season.
Hyundai’s third car, Adrien Fourmaux – a former winner of Rally Islas Canarias back in 2020 – is fifth ahead of the remaining three of five Toyotas: Kalle Rovanperä, Takamoto Katsuta (non manufacturer points registered) and Sami Pajari.
The M-Sport Fords of Grégoire Munster and Josh McErlean complete the lineup.
38 Rally2 cars have been attracted to Rally Islas Canarias with 34 (89.5%) registered for WRC2 points.
Rossel brothers Yohan and Léo top the entry in their Citroën C3 Rally2s, with Yohan – winner in Monte Carlo – starting as a particular favourite. But his list of challengers are endless.
Nikolay Gryazin (Škoda) underlined his asphalt pace with victory at the ERC season opener, Rally Sierra Morena, and is joined in the Toksport fold by 2022 WRC2 champion Emil Lindholm – the Finn making his first start in a Fabia for two years.
Spain is well represented by Alejandro Cachón (Toyota), Diego Ruiloba (Citroën), 2022 ERC champion Efrén Llarena (Citroën) and Canaries local Luis Monzón (Citroën) to name a few, while others to watch include Toyota duo Mathieu Franceschi and Fabio Schwarz who both start their first ever WRC2 campaigns this week.
Reigning Junior WRC champion Romet Jürgenson is the sole Ford Fiesta Rally2 runner, but arrives in form after securing his first ever overall victory at the British Rally Championship’s Carlisle Stages.
The rally is based at the Estadio Gran Canaria in Las Palmas and begins on Thursday. Crews face 18 stages and more than 300 competitive kilometres before Sunday afternoon’s finish – with world-class views and a wild local crowd guaranteed.
