Rally di Roma Capitale has its sights set on joining the World Rally Championship in the future with organisers “working hard” to elevate the event to rallying’s top-flight.
The Italian asphalt rally, that begins in the nation’s capital city Rome, has been steadily growing in stature having earned a place on the European Rally Championship calendar in 2017.
Last weekend the rally, based around the town of Fiuggi, completed its 12th edition under management led by former rally driver and 2014 world production champion Max Rendina.
It appears this is the latest ERC event that aspires to make the jump to the WRC following in the footsteps of Latvia - Rally Liepaja - that earned promotion from ERC this year, while Rally Islas Canarias will step up to WRC level in 2025.
Speculation surrounding the event’s WRC ambitions circulated during the WRC’s Italian round in Sardinia in June. Rally di Roma’s future wishes were outlined to Motorsport.com after Citroen driver Andrea Crugnola claimed victory in last weekend’s rally that marked the fifth round of the 2024 ERC.
“We are working for that [to reach the WRC] and that is not only our mission because we have to talk with the FIA and the WRC Promoter and the Italian federation [ACI] but we are working hard for that. If we do not succeed we will try again,” said Rendina.
It is understood that 2026 is realistically the earliest the event could secure a WRC should their bid be successful given Sardinia is contracted to host next year’s Italian round.
The island’s gravel roads have hosted the championship every year, barring 2009, since the event moved from Sanremo on the mainland in 2004. Italy has also been represented in the WRC by Rally Monza in 2020 and 2021 when COVID-19 restrictions were in place.
Rendina has stipulated that the event’s showpiece Super Special stage at Rome’s famous Colosseum is a key part of its WRC project for the future.
To make the graduation to WRC the event will most likely need to increase its overall competitive stage kilometres from its current 189.52km total.
“The only thing that nobody can copy is the Colosseum [stage] so if the WRC project become a reality, it will be part of the game maybe with a longer stage with different characteristics,” he added.
Former WRC driver Hayden Paddon has contested the last two editions of Rally Di Roma and believes the event has the potential to step up to the WRC, and feels the Colosseum offers a great opportunity to bring rallying to the uninitiated.
“I think all ERC rallies are good enough to be at the WRC level. We have seen with Latvia that events can prove themselves before they go into WRC,” Paddon, who finished sixth last weekend, told Motorsport.com.
“The way the rallies are run, the organisation, the itineraries it is all the same you could copy and paste it into a WRC event so that is why these are all good dress rehearsals if they do get an opportunity in WRC.
“It’s [the Colosseum] pretty unique and that is the beauty of super special stages it is about taking rallying to the people, and it is irrelevant what us drivers think, it is about getting in front of people who may not normally see a rally car. That is one of the most unique and historic monuments in the world and here we are rallying around it.”
