WRC Rally Islas Canarias as close to circuit racing as rallying gets

The World Rally Championship’s maiden visit to the Canary Islands will be 'as close to circuit racing as rallying gets’, according to the drivers. 

WRC crews are set to embrace an all-new challenge this week as the Canary Islands fast and sweeping asphalt roads grace the World Rally Championship for the first time.

Rally Islas Canarias can trace its history back to 1977, but this weekend will see the event host rallying’s top tier for the first time after earning a promotion from the European Rally Championship.

As a result, the large majority of the drivers set to tackle next week’s rally have limited experience of the Spanish island’s roads. Although, many are predicting the roads to offer smooth asphalt more akin to surfaces used in circuit racing.  

“A brand-new event is a different kind of challenge for us – it’s never easy or straightforward – and Rally Islas Canarias is no different,” said Hyundai’s Ott Tanak.

“We don’t have any experience of this rally, so we will be searching for maximum performance while still discovering the roads. It’s about as close to circuit racing as rallying gets. This will be the most challenging tarmac round of the year to get right; we need to make sure the car has the right setup and great balance to get a good feeling across the flowing, smooth roads without degrading the tyres too quickly. 

“We’re going to Gran Canaria to compete at the very top, targeting a podium finish. In rallying it’s always hard to predict how it’s going to be, but we will do everything from our side to be competitive.”

M-Sport

Tanak’s view is echoed by Toyota’s Takamoto Katsuta, who is hoping to tap into his circuit racing experience having started his career racing in Formula 3 single-seaters in Japan.

“From what I’ve heard from other drivers, Rally Islas Canarias is one of the nicest asphalt rallies, so I’m really looking forward to it,” said Katsuta. 

“It’s very much a pure asphalt rally with not much cutting or dirt on the road, and in these conditions we can really enjoy the maximum performance of the car and the aerodynamics. 

“It kind of reminds me of my previous experience in circuit racing, and hopefully this can help me to perform well. At the same time, we will again have some new tyres for this rally and we will need to see how they are performing on those stages and try to adapt as best as we can.”

M-Sport-Ford’s Gregoire Munster has welcomed the championship adding a new asphalt round to the calendar, but feels ensuring crews have the best pace notes will be critical for success. 

“I’m really looking forward to Gran Canaria! We didn’t really have an event like this on Tarmac last year that was like proper racing, with a really stiff car, wide roads and high grip, so I’m excited to try to push the car to the maximum on these roads,” said Munster.

“We need to have perfect pace notes and I’m looking forward to getting out on the stages. Hopefully the weather will be better than it is in Belgium.”

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