The 48 Rally Islas Canarias presents a high entry list. The Gran Canaria event, scheduled for May 2 to 4, will have nearly 100 entered teams, a list that will not lack the most notable teams from recent seasons.

A total of 20 nationalities are represented among the teams, which underlines the international nature of the rally. A total of 74 are vehicles registered under FIA regulations, a number, without a doubt, that has been increasing during recent editions. No less than 33 correspond to the premier category (Rally2), 30 to Rally4, in addition to a couple of Rally3 and six Rally5, among others.

As the organization announced a few days ago, Yoann Bonato and Benjamin Boulloud will defend the victory they achieved last year at the wheel of a Citroën C3 Rally2. The French will face the current European champions, and runners-up in the 2023 'Canary Islands', Hayden Paddon and John Kennard, who repeat with a Hyundai i20 N Rally2. In fact, the entire podium from last year is present again, and Efrén Llarena-Sara Fernández (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2), European champions in 2022, will try again on a talismanic island for them.

Simone Tempestini-Sergiu Itu, driving a Skoda Fabia RS Rally2, repeat in the Rally Islas Canarias, this time as new leaders of the FIA ​​ERC after their victory in Hungary last weekend. Miklós Csomós-Attila Nagy, with a Skoda Fabia Rally2 Evo, and Mathieu Franceschi-Andy Malfoy, on a Skoda Fabia RS Rally2, both protagonists from the top of the Hungarian podium, will also travel the Gran Canaria stages in this edition.

Another driver, who already wore number one a few editions ago, returns to try to fight for victory. This is the Polish Miko Marczyk and his co-driver Szymon Gospodarczyk (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2). Simon Wagner-Gerald Winter (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2), another team that knows what it means to win stages in the Rally Islas Canarias, also joins a list that includes more than 30 vehicles in the Rally2 category.

Lukyanuk's return
Winner of four editions of the Rally Islas Canarias and European champion on a couple of occasions, the Russian Alexey Lukyanuk is back and with a clear objective: to reach the five victories that Carlos Sainz obtained in the 1980s. On this occasion he will accompany him on the right Yury Kulikov and, for the first time, he will get into a Hyundai i20 N Rally2.

An international representation that hosts names already known to Canarian fans, such as Erik Casi-Igor Bacigál (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2), Filip Mares-Radovan Bucha (Toyota GR Yaris Rally2), Andrea Mabellini-Virginia Lenzi (Skoda Fabia Rally2) or Mads Ostberg-Patrik Barth (Citroën C3 Rally2), among others.

Important weight of the S-CER
The Spanish Supercampeonato will have an important weight in the list of entrants for the 48 Rally Islas Canarias. There is no shortage of the current champion, and current leader, José Antonio Suárez and his co-driver Alberto Iglesias. Those of the Skoda Fabia RS Rally2 will be accompanied by their national colleagues Alejandro Cachón-Borja Rozada (Toyota GR Yaris Rally2), Diego Ruiloba-Ángel Vela (Citroën C3 Rally2), Óscar Palomo-Sergio Fernández (Hyundai i20 N Rally2), Iván Ares- Javier Martínez (Hyundai i20 N Rally2) and Roberto Blach-Mauro Zas (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2). An event that is also joined by Javier Pardo-David de la Puente with an Alpine A-110.

The return of the McRae surname
The Junior category of the Rally Islas Canarias brings with it a large roster of young teams that will compete in the event on different vehicles from the Rally4 category.

Among them is the young Max McRae (Peugeot 208 Rally4), who together with Cameron Fair will face his first 'Islas Canarias', an event that his grandfather Jimmy already competed in 1986 and 1992 and his father Alister in 1992 and 1993.

This category includes names such as Calle Carlberg-Jorgen Eriksen (Opel Corsa Rally4), Timo Schulz-Michael Wenzel (Opel Corsa Rally4) or those already mentioned a few days ago, Cristiana Oprea-Alexia Parteni (Opel Corsa Rally4) and Ekaterina Stratieva- Georgi Avramov (Peugeot 208 Rally4).

The official entry list will be published next Tuesday, April 23 at 2:00 p.m. That same day, but at 1:00 p.m., the Gran Canaria Arena will host the official presentation of the 48 Rally Islas Canarias.