After four days of testing, Round 4 of the WRC Rally Islas Canarias officially begins tomorrow, Thursday 24 April, at 9:01 AM. The action starts with the shakedown stage in Santa Brígida, a 6.26 km stretch of road where teams can get a final feel for their cars. You can watch the shakedown live for free on YouTube here: Watch Live Shakedown.
While the shakedown gives drivers a chance to warm up, it’s not quite like the main rally stages. It’s narrower and the surface is rougher, so it won’t fully show how the cars will perform in the rest of the rally.
This is the first all-tarmac rally of the WRC season. Rally Islas Canarias has a long history, going back to 1977. It has been part of both the FIA European Rally Championship and the Intercontinental Rally Challenge over the years.
The rally’s opening ceremony will take place in the beautiful Plaza de Santa Ana at 9:00 PM on Thursday night, following an autograph session with the drivers at 8:00 PM.
Across three days of racing, the event will include 18 special stages. In total, drivers will race 301.3 km. Friday features 6 stages, Saturday has 7, and Sunday wraps up with 5, including the exciting Power Stage in Maspalomas.
The roads in the Rally Islas Canarias are known for their sharp turns and steep climbs, which makes this rally very challenging. Drivers will have to manage both their car handling and their tyre grip on the tricky asphalt. They’ll choose between two types of Hankook tyres: Tarmac Dry (Hard or Soft) or Tarmac Wet.
Fans can follow each stage using the official stage maps and Google links provided below, courtesy of Rally Islas Canarias.
Google maps links: