Back to the calendar WRC this year after a one-year break and a “demotion” in ERC, Rally Croatia will therefore return to the top tier next April, hosting the fourth round of the season. This will be the second of four asphalt rallies this year and will practically mark the end of the season on this surface, as the second half of the calendar is entirely focused on gravel. To mark the occasion, the organizers have made some changes, moving the rally’s nerve center to the Adriatic coast. Previously located in Zagreb, the service park will now be situated at the Grobnik circuit, a track that hosted the Yugoslavian Motorcycle Grand Prix for about ten years. Located a few kilometers from the seaside resort of Rijeka, it will serve a revamped route, almost certainly different from those of previous years.

Rally Croatia: a well-established event

We’ll have to wait a few more weeks to discover the full rally route. Confirmed in Rally Guide 1, a document now available on the organizer’s website, the news of the event’s relocation already provides some clues about what the 2026 edition of the rally will be like. In 2025, as part of the ERC, Jon Armstrong won with his Ford Fiesta Rally2. Léo Rossel and Pablo Sarrazin took the opportunity to come and prepare for the Central European Rally, whileAdrien fourmaux had evolved on the first day of the rally aboard the Hyundai i20N Rally1. During the final edition of the WRC, in 2024, Sébastien Ogier had prevailed over Elfyn Evans and Thierry NeuvilleThe 2026 edition will therefore be the 5th organized in the WRC.

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The Irish tribute to the Croatia Rally

Indirectly, the Rally Croatia is also unfortunately associated with the latest tragedy in the WRC. During testing ahead of the 2023 edition, the Irishman Craig Breen He lost his life when his Hyundai i20N Rally1 crashed at low speed into a wooden barrier that penetrated the passenger compartment. While this accident is clearly not the fault of the Rally Croatia organizers, it served as a stark reminder that rallying remains a dangerous sport, despite the numerous safety measures implemented. This year, reigning champion Jon Armstrong and his co-driver Josh McErlean will have the opportunity to pay tribute to him in the most fitting way.