The 50th edition of the Rally Islas Canarias – Rally of Spain adopts a new format, consisting for the first time of four days of competition, allowing spectators to experience the action of the WRC (World Rally Championship) with greater intensity than ever before.
The new ‘BP Ultimate – Las Palmas de Gran Canaria’ super special stage will kick off the itinerary on Thursday afternoon, hours after the ‘Santa Brígida’ shakedown (6.26 km), and will also complete the following day’s leg. It will be one of the main attractions of the 50th anniversary of the Rally Islas Canarias – Rally of Spain, and also a major novelty: it will be the first time an international event holds a super special stage inside a football stadium in Spain.
The damage caused in numerous areas of Gran Canaria by the recent DANA storm that battered the archipelago forced the organising committee to react swiftly and skillfully to revise the initially planned itinerary for Friday’s leg.
Thanks to the collaboration of the Gran Canaria Island Council and all the municipalities, the first full day of the 50th Rally Islas Canarias – Rally of Spain will still feature a loop of three stages, which features several changes.
As planned, the section will open with ‘Valleseco – Artenara’, whose starting point will be located further along than in the first published itinerary. The final section of this special stage will also be longer.
‘Tejeda – San Mateo’ is now located halfway through the loop and becomes the longest stage of the day, potentially playing a decisive role in the outcome of the first leg.
Friday’s stages will be completed with the ‘Mogán – La Aldea’ stage, in the opposite direction to the original plan; thus, it becomes a completely new stage for the WRC (World Rally Championship) teams.
The organising committee, in collaboration with the FIA ??and WRC Promoter, has revised Friday’s route based on the new circumstances, ensuring optimal alternative routes and more comfortable and accessible paths, both to the stage start areas and to the Service Park at the Gran Canaria Stadium.
The itinerary for Saturday and Sunday remains exactly the same as the one presented in February, with a total of more than 300 timed kilometers.
The longest special stage will still be ‘Moya – Gáldar’, the third and final stage of the Saturday leg, which will begin with ‘Maspalomas’ and ‘Arucas – Firgas – Teror’.
The cornerstones of Sunday’s leg will be two stages that are completely new to the WRC (World Rally Championship) teams: ‘Ingenio – Telde – Valsequillo’, another major addition to the route, and ‘Santa Lucía – Agüimes’, designated for the first time as the ‘Wolf Power Stage’.
This very special designation will give it the spotlight as the bonus stage and a decisive role in the competition, serving as the grand finale to the iconic 50th edition of the Rally Islas Canarias – Rally of Spain.
