What races await you in the 2022 season?

The great return of Safari Rally last year to the WRC calendar was a success! The Kenya Rally was first held in 2002 and it was already exceptional at that time – for example, Colin McRae won his 25th and last WRC victory there. This year the rally will again take place in Nairobi, with special stages planned in the area known as the Great African Rifts near Lake Naivasha and Elmenteita. The race will be on gravel and rocky roads, which turn into unpredictable, muddy slush after rain. The Safari Rally is considered one of the toughest races on the WRC calendar. Last year, this treacherous rally was dominated by Sebastian Ogier, who rushed to the next championship title with erzets.

The Estonian Rally takes place in Estonia’s second largest city – Tartu – a is considered a very technical matter. It is characterized by gravel and extremely fast roads with narrow spaces that will test the driver. This rally does not offer many jumps, but the famous one – Alakula – allows forty meters. Estonian routes they are specific to local favorite Otto Tänak and it was he who took victory on home soil in 2020. Last season, Kalle Rövanper blew his top spot, claiming his maiden WRC triumph at Tartu.

The Finnish rally is a true classic and the WRC calendar would be incomplete without this stop. Finland is the fastest rally of the season and it’s called that Grand Prix rally. Gravel paths in the woods and jumps that catapult cars for tens of meters. In Finland, the winners are those who brake the latest and keep the gas on the ground the longest. A year ago, Otto Tänak’s winning streak was interrupted by Elfyn Evans and he won. It is clear that this year they will try again and you can expect a good fight.

The history of Greek racing began in 1953, when 20 years later Greek rallying became part of the World Rally Championship. In 2021, after 8 years, the iconic race returns to the WRC calendar with great grandeur. The gravel roads were full of emotions and twists. The victory was won by the young Kalle Rövanperfor whom it was the second career victory in the WRC.

Rally New Zealand returns to the scene for the first time since 2012 Sébastien Loeb triumphed. The first rally in New Zealand took place in 1969 and less than ten years later the competition entered the World Rally Championship series. The plant is known for its gravel erzets in picturesque forests. This rally is memorable the nearest victory in 2007. After more than 350 km of racing, Marcus Grönholm beat Sébastien Loeb only three tenths of a second!

The Catalan rally, which will be the penultimate race of the season, has also returned to the calendar. This race is such a chameleon, because it has always been held on a completely different surface. In 2021, however, it was a fully asphalted classic rally, which suits the Czech driver Erik Cais perfectly. He managed (from his first race at the World Championships) to take 13th place and set the time just 34 seconds behind his idol Sébastien Loeb.

The 2022 Japanese Rally is novelty and the last race this season. The crews return to the scene for the first time since 2010. The entire event will take place on the island of Honshu and the epicenter of events will be the city of Nagoya. The Japanese rally is pure asphalt and the roads will be twisty mountain roads. The last winner of the Japanese rally was Sebastian Ogier, who had only been on top of the world for two years.