Paraguay will become the 38th country to host an FIA World Rally Championship round in 2025, President Santiago Peña announced during the opening ceremony of the Petrobras Rally Transchaco 2024, the third round of Paraguay’s national championship.
“Paraguay thought big and reached the goal. We will host a great world event such as WRC. We are preparing so that in 2025 we will show the world our ability to work together to carry out a high-level international event with excellence,” expressed Peña on his social networks.
When he made the announcement during the Symbolic start of the Transchaco Rally 2024, he said that “Paraguay is great and the world is in the process of discovering us… hosting world-class events like the WRC is one more way to show the world our greatness.”
In this context, the Head of State signed an agreement with the director of the World Rally Car, Simon Larkin and called on all Paraguayans to prepare for the competition, which will be for the first time in Paraguay, in the department of Itapúa.
He highlighted that only two countries on the American continent were selected for this great sporting event, which are Paraguay and Chile.
A multi-year agreement realizes the WRC promoter’s long-standing ambition to return to two events a year in South America.
Paraguay has a strong rally heritage and the sport thrives in the heart of South America. Gustavo Saba was a regular face at Argentine WRC events during the 2010s and, more recently, Fabrizio Zaldivar has become an established competitor in WRC2, while Diego Domínguez is among the favorites for the Junior WRC and WRC3 titles.
The last 11 editions of the FIA CODASUR South American Rally Championship have also been won by Paraguayan drivers.
They explained that the WRC promoter’s proactive approach in creating a more sustainable path for the rally’s future played an important role in Paraguay’s bid to be part of the championship.
“We have been in talks with Paraguay for a number of years and I am incredibly pleased to see this agreement,” said WRC Senior Director of Events Simon Larkin, who was on site to celebrate the special announcement.
“There is no doubt about the passion of the Paraguayan nation for the Rally and we cannot wait to transmit this passion, as well as the spectacular landscape of Paraguay around the world,” he said.
FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem said: “Welcoming Paraguay to the FIA World Rally Championship in 2025 is a fantastic opportunity for the series and all its stakeholders to explore new horizons.
The World Rally Championship (WRC) is the FIA’s premium rally series. It features high-performance hybrid-powered cars and the world’s best drivers competing in spectacular environments, ranging from the freezing winter of Sweden to the heat and rocky tracks of Kenya. Participants fight for the drivers’ and manufacturers’ titles in 13 rallies.
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2024-06-23 17:33:03