WRC Croatia 2026

[jcevc]

So, after a year of absence, WRC Croatia will be back in 2026 - 2 weeks earlier and with a pretty big changes.

Service park will be on racetrack Grobnik, cca 30 km from coastal town Rijeka (street Korzo), where start and finish will be located - Rijeka already hosted ERC in some of editions.
Special stages on Friday (8) around city Karlovac (area known from previous editions), other two days (8 and 4) special stages will be held in region of Gorski Kotar and peninsula Istra (ERC 2013 for example was held in Istra).
In case of unstable weather conditions we can see the most extreme cases - from the sun on the sea side of mountain Učka to the snow in Gorski Kotar (already happened 2023 or 2024).

This are unofficial info, so wait a little bit for official confirmation :)

[Dimitris]

Massive shame that Zagorska Sela is out of the rally :(

[Morte66]

If this is confirmed, I'll be very glad to hear it. I have enjoyed the various ERC/WRC Croatia rallies.

[jcevc]

Rally Guide 1 is out for some day already and moving the service zone and area of special stages is confirmed.

[ik1911]

Rally Guide 1 is out for some day already and moving the service zone and area of special stages is confirmed.

Shakedown somewhere on Island Krk!

[WRCStan]

Not exactly the easiest place to get to. Flying to Rijeka or Pula, even from London, looking at 40 hours trip each way with 2 stops. Quicker to drive. Zadar airport just as pointless, so options are Trieste or Zagreb, probably flying from London with 3 hours driving either end. Not looking likely tbh.

[Managarium]

Zagreb - Rijeka is 1,5 hour drive. You can drive faster on Croatian highways. Limit is 130 km/h but if you drive 150 km/h you shall have 0 problems with police.
On Croatian highways is 10 % tolerance of speed, which means if you drive 143 km/h you are legal. But you can go faster. The highway police is dealing with 200+ km/h drivers.

Also, there is highway by the Zagreb airport and you have direct connection to Rijeka and Pula, if you want to drive.
But you can also take a flight from Zagreb to Rijeka (which has an airport on island Krk) and Pula.

[Steve Boyd]

Not exactly the easiest place to get to.
Often a problem with "holiday" destinations out of season. If the event was a month or two later you could fly direct from LGW or LTN.

[Steve Boyd]

Not exactly the easiest place to get to.
Often a problem with "holiday" destinations out of season. If the event was a month or two later you could fly direct from LGW or LTN.

[WRCStan]

I looked at Zagreb but once I chose an indirect flight from an unreliable German airline that has cancelled flights on me in the past, I was given 11 different prices to choose from. I lost interest then, because it's all these little add-on nuisances that kills me wanting to go anywhere, and I didn't even begin to look at getting to the airport which even charges to get dropped off at by a friend; then hiring a car, somewhere to stay, ESTAs. Tourism industry and the regulators think I'm cattle, they can only blame their selves for making it an ordeal and not a joy. I'm glad I got to travel when I did without all this what-should-be-unnecessary shit.

Little rant over, here's something useful: Trieste Airport might as well be in Venice btw, and there's some dirt cheap direct flights going daily to the Venice airports from the UK for anybody who wants the drive.

Edit, bringing this into context: is travelling to see WRC/this rally worth it(?)

[GigiGalliNo1]

Fly into Venice...

[GigiGalliNo1]

And also... you don't require an ETIAS until the end of 2026.

[Managarium]

Here you go...
Noe exactly location but;
Friday - Istria
Saturday - Primorje - Gorski Kotar County, between Rijeka and Karlovac
Sunday - Lika - Senj County
https://www.tportal.hr/sport/clanak/wrc-se-vraca-u-hrvatsku-ovoga-puta-bit-ce-na-drugim-lokacijama-20260120

[Managarium]

Here you go...
Noe exactly location but;
Friday - Istria
Saturday - Primorje - Gorski Kotar County, between Rijeka and Karlovac
Sunday - Lika - Senj County
https://www.tportal.hr/sport/clanak/wrc-se-vraca-u-hrvatsku-ovoga-puta-bit-ce-na-drugim-lokacijama-20260120

[WRCStan]

If shakedown is near Grobnik I hope that Balde Fucka (https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/Ul.+Balde+Fućka+50,+51000,+Rijeka,+Croatia/) gets involved.

The powerstage finish looks interesting, not sure how it's going to finish at the fortress with the town and main road.

[Managarium]

https://i.postimg.cc/cHMpf0Vq/626511736-18405764551131579-6600806091851693505-n.jpg (https://postimg.cc/Q9CY3G8S)