Rally US reveals further details ahead of WRC 2027 return

Knoxville has been announced as the host city for the World Rally Championship’s long awaited return to the United States next year.

Earlier this month the WRC released its expanded 15-round 2027 calendar, which includes a trip to America for the first time since Olympus Rally in 1988.

It will be round 11 on 26-29 August and organisers have now confirmed that the gravel rally will have its headquarters based in Knoxville, Tennessee.

The service park (WRC Arena), the team base and fan festival will be held at the city’s World’s Fair Park and Convention Centre.

The ceremonial start will be held on Nashville’s Lower Broadway, which has hosted some of the country’s biggest events and artists.

Rally US organisers have also promised non-stop entertainment on and away from the stages, featuring live music and a host of activations for fans.

It will see the rally traverse 15 counties across Tennessee and Kentucky, featuring stages running through the Appalachian Mountains to the Cumberland Plateau.

The region’s fast gravel roads, technical forest sections and dramatic elevation changes are expected to provide a new challenge for the WRC crews.

“Tennessee is in the hospitality and entertainment business, and nobody does it better,” said US Rally president Matt Crews.

“When the FIA and WRC Promoter put America back on the calendar, we set out to deliver far more than a race: an event experience, from Broadway to the Appalachian Mountains, that rivals any festival in the world and puts our state on a global stage like no other.”

Tennessee Governor Bill Lee, added: “I am excited to welcome the FIA World Rally Championship back to the United States for the first time in nearly 40 years, and even more excited that Tennessee will host this historic return in 2027.”

The WRC has long targeted the USA as a key market to grow the series with the event cited as the reason for the championship’s expansion to 15 rounds next year.

“The United States has long been a priority for the WRC,” said Eric Boullier, CEO, WRC Promoter

“Knoxville and the roads of Tennessee and Kentucky give us a spectacular, challenging setting, and a passionate home for our teams, manufacturers and fans as we begin this new chapter in America.”

FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem

Photo by: EYE4images / NurPhoto via Getty Images

FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem added: “The United States represents one of the most important growth opportunities for the FIA World Rally Championship.

“It is a nation where motor sport is part of the cultural DNA, with world-class domestic championships and a rapidly growing appetite for global competition.

“I am deeply committed to strengthening the FIA’s presence in the U.S. and ensuring that rallying becomes a defining pillar of that future.

“Expanding the FIA WRC into North America not only enhances the championship’s global reach, but connects rallying with a knowledgeable, passionate, and expanding fanbase in a market where participation and engagement continue to accelerate and grow.”

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