KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Taking place Aug. 26-29, the gravel event will feature a route spanning more than 15 counties across Tennessee and Kentucky, with stages stretching from the Appalachian Mountains to the Cumberland Plateau.
Fast gravel roads, technical forest sections and dramatic elevation changes will shape the challenge for crews as the WRC makes its first visit to the United States since 1988.
Knoxville will serve as rally headquarters, with the WRC Arena based at World’s Fair Park and the Knoxville Convention Center. The Arena will bring together the teams’ base and a fan festival, creating a hub for spectators away from the stages.
“The United States has long been a priority for the WRC,” said Éric Boullier, CEO of 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.”
The ceremonial start on Nashville’s Lower Broadway will form part of an entertainment programme that also includes live music, driver appearances and fan events at the WRC Arena, plus community celebrations in East Tennessee and Eastern Kentucky.
“Tennessee is in the hospitality and entertainment business, and nobody does it better,” said Matt Crews, President and CEO of Rally US. “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.”
FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem highlighted the importance of the championship’s return to the American market.
“The United States represents one of the most important growth opportunities for the FIA World Rally Championship,” he said. “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.”
