Kalle Rovanperä led a chorus of drivers surprised at just how well the first WRC Rally del Paraguay went
Photography by Hyundai & Toyota
Words by Luke Barry
Rally del Paraguay’s maiden appearance in the World Rally Championship has been met with near-universal acclaim, with several drivers expressing surprise at how well the country’s first time running a world championship event went.
Though not the only rally to make its WRC debut in 2025 – Rally Islas Canarias also stepped up to world level this year after several decades in the European Rally Championship and Rally Saudi Arabia will make its bow in November – Paraguay’s national event had run only a single candidate event a year earlier prior to its global debut.
But several WRC drivers voiced their approval of Paraguay’s organization, with Kalle Rovanperä leading a chorus who found its debut unexpectedly straightforward.
When asked to summarize its debut by DirtFish, Rovanperä said Rally del Paraguay had been “surprisingly good.”
“I have to say all the organization has done a good job,” the two-time world champion said. “All the promotion, everything. We see so many people everywhere. A lot of police taking care of the traffic and us also. So to be honest, I’m really happy and it was an easy weekend. A lot of fans, great atmosphere. Not a bad thing to say.”
Traffic jams had formed from spectators going to watch the WRC2 collective test on the Monday of rally week, a highly unusual phenomenon which hinted at how popular the rally would be with locals. Much to Ott Tänak’s relief, the event’s popularity did not translate to the crowd management issues he’d feared.
“I must say it’s a bit of a surprise,” said Tänak. “Knowing South America, how crowded it is, how many people, and first time [they are] organizing such a big event; no delay, no cancelled stages, so for sure very well organized. “
Prior to the rally local favorite Fabrizio Zaldivar had warned that if it rained, the stages could become close to undrivable, such is the ferocity of typical rainfall in the Itapua region.
That came somewhat to pass on the powerstage when both Adrien Fourmaux and Sébastien Ogier bled time as the heavens opened for their final runs. But, the weather and his personal misfortune aside, Fourmaux also had plenty of positives to highlight.
Fourmaux joked that the rain was the only problem in Paraguay!
“Maybe some parts of stages are really flat out, especially on Saturday,” said Fourmaux, highlighting one of the minor drawbacks of Paraguay’s itinerary. “For the rest, I think it’s quite a good event. It’s different from the others. We cannot complain. If there is more straight also, it’s OK.
“The only thing is if it rains – as we just had the shower now [on the powerstage] for the full rally – I don’t see many Rally1 cars at the end. Really, there was just no grip. But this, they cannot do anything, so just make sure it’s not raining!”
FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem visited Rally Paraguay in person, meeting with the country’s president Santiago Peña.
Peña himself was present for every day of the rally, taking a shakedown passenger ride with rally winner Ogier and presenting him with the winning trophy at the podium finish.
The government’s enthusiasm for the WRC, Ben Sulayem believes, was key to the event’s success.
“We have to go to places where they welcome us,” Ben Sulayem told DirtFish. “We have the blessing of having good support from the president of the country. You can see how he talks about it. The passion for motorsport and rallying, especially rallying, in the Americas is incredible. And especially rallying. They have a good history of rallying.
“I was impressed by the harmonization of the government departments together. Otherwise you can’t do a good job.
“To have that passion from President Peña, and also to ask the right questions, but to harmonize all these departments together, with the FIA, with the promoter, with the organizers, really, that is hard work.”
Engagement from the local community did not go unnoticed by stakeholders either. Oliver Solberg, one of the most active drivers on social media, could scarcely believe the welcome he received.
“[They are the] best fans in the world,” he declared. “Most passionate, beautiful. The welcome has been incredible. We have gained, I think, close to 70,000 followers. More than absolutely anybody.
“Here I feel like a rock and roll star. I felt like Liam Gallagher last [Saturday] night! You see the people outside our service? More than absolutely anybody. It was mental.”
Paraguay has a “multi-year” deal with WRC Promoter to host a world championship round and is already confirmed for next year.
Words:Alasdair Lindsay
Tags: Rally del Paraguay, Rally del Paraguay 2025, WRC, WRC 2025
Publish Date September 2, 2025 DirtFish
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