Rally USA has confirmed a second World Rally Championship proof of concept event. Find out everything you need to know below.
Another Proof Of Concept Event
Rally USA is hosting another WRC proof of concept event in Chattanooga Tennessee. The first event was held shortly after Rally Mexico earlier this year. The event posted the following on their social media pages about the event.
“We are pleased to announce the second proof of concept event on November 11, 2023, in our series leading us towards the first World Rally in the US in 36 years. Our list of events building to the World Rally including rallies, conferences and training has grown a bit longer since our first demonstration event in April of this year!
Nevertheless, we are on our way.
Polk County, Tennessee will host the Copperhill Veterans Day Rally, a 50-mile one-day Rally on the hills of the area’s former copper mine. We plan to honor our country’s veterans and reintroduce stage rally to the area as we march towards our ultimate goal…a World Rally event in Southeast Tennessee.
Stages will vary from very tight and technical to flowing with moderate elevation change. The RallyUSA team will use the event to test the roads, conduct World Rally-specific training and to develop high-capacity spectator viewing sites needed for the volume of WRC spectators later anticipated. The stages used here WILL appear in later test events and the World Rally lineup as well!
This private site will accommodate the HQ, service area, scrutineering, spectator parking and viewing, and all stages and transits. It has mountain vistas, rolling hills and former industrial backdrops. The town of Copperhill, a lovely mountain getaway, is only a few hundred yards away from the event site and will provide a perfect setting.”
When Could The WRC Return To The United States?
There hasn’t been a WRC round in the United States since 1986. This was also the last time Group B-era cars were allowed to race in the WRC. 36 years later there is work being done to have a round in the USA return to the WRC. The first proof of concept event went rather well, well enough for a second one to take place. So when could the WRC return to the states? From the sounds of it, 2025 will be the year it returns. There were rumours that it would return during the 2024 season. However, due to how much has to go into making a WRC event happen that won’t be the case. As if it were easy to put on an event for the WRC everyone would be doing it or trying to do it. Especially with a brand-new rally, there’s a lot to be proven.
A Long-Awaited Return
Rally fans in the USA have waited a while for the WRC to return. Something that looked like it wasn’t going to ever happen, or at least not for a while. However, that changed after the success of F1 in the USA, proving motorsports outside of NASCAR and IndyCar can work in the USA. Obviously, there’s no guarantee the WRC will work out in the USA but even a couple seasons of being in the USA could be good for the championship.