Rally Islas Canarias brings Spain back to the WRC for the first time since 2022

After a double-podium finish at the punishing Safari Rally Kenya, Hyundai Motorsport is looking to continue this momentum at Rally Islas Canarias, round four of the 2025 FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) from April 24-27.

This new addition to the WRC calendar marks the first full tarmac round of the season – a surface where the team scored strong results in 2024, with three podium finishes, including a win from Ott Tänak at Central European Rally.

Rally Islas Canarias takes place on the idyllic island of Gran Canaria, under the first glimpses of early summer sun. The smooth tarmac roads promise high speed rallying action, as crews must use precision and pace to thread their machines through mountain passes and local towns.

Thierry Neuville and Adrien Fourmaux have prior experience of the island rally. The Belgian contested the event twice during his Intercontinental Rally Championship career, and his French team-mate claimed victory there in his only ERC season in 2020. Ott Tänak has never contested Rally Islas Canarias, but his Spanish rally experience is not limited, with nine entries into Rally de España between 2011 and 2022 and two podium finishes.

Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team seeks to continue the strong results from Safari Rally Kenya – where the team claimed its best-ever finish at the event with a double podium from Tänak and Neuville. With just 26 points separating Hyundai Motorsport from the top of the standings, a solid performance at Rally Islas Canarias is essential in the team’s push to close the gap. The Hyundai i20 N Rally1 will be pushed to new extremes on its first full-speed test of the season on all-tarmac terrain.

Rally Islas Canarias will cover 301.30km of competitive action across three days. The event will open with the longest stage of the weekend, Valsequillo-Telde (SS1/4) – a 26.32km, uphill course proving demanding for both man and machine. Other stages to look out for across the weekend include the winding Arucas-Firgas-Teror (SS8/11, 13.75km) and the picturesque but potentially punishing high-altitude roads of Tejeda-San Mateo (SS9/12, 23.30km).

Hyundai Motorsport President and Team Principal Cyril Abiteboul said:

“It’s always exciting to see new rounds on the WRC calendar, and to return to Spain after two seasons away. We have a fast tarmac test that gives us a fresh set of challenges and ambitions. While it is the first time our upgraded Hyundai i20 N Rally1 has contested a full tarmac round, we’re confident we can be on good form here next weekend. We’re focussed on closing the gap to Toyota so we’re pushing for a podium at a minimum, but we’re always aiming for the top step. A strong Super Sunday performance will also be crucial – we were able to lock-out the top three at Safari Rally Kenya, and it would be fantastic to repeat this performance at Rally Islas Canarias.”

Crew Notes: Thierry Neuville/Martijn Wydaeghe (#1 Hyundai i20 N Rally1)

• Neuville claimed third place at 2011 IRC event
• Belgians aiming to replicate top-three result from Kenya

Neuville said: “It’s hard to remember the last time I competed at Rally Islas Canarias, but it was definitely a rally I enjoyed. Many parts of the route have been reworked, resurfaced and widened, so I don’t think there is much experience I can take from 2010 and 2011 into the weekend. At a test event we contested recently, we had a good mixture of grip, precision and performance, so we are feeling more comfortable with the car on tarmac. We had a great result at Safari Rally Kenya; nevertheless, it was still a demanding event – probably one of the most challenging of the year. I think the momentum we need for this event is there, and we have everything we need in the car, so I think we will perform well. We are targeting a victory, of course – we need to beat Evans to close that gap in both championships.” 

Crew Notes: Ott Tänak/Martin Järveoja (#8 Hyundai i20 N Rally1)

• Estonians on a mission for second-consecutive podium
• Crew looking to utilise their WRC tarmac experience for solid result

Tänak said: “A brand-new event is a different kind of challenge for us – it’s never easy or straightforward – and Rally Islas Canarias is no different. We don’t have any experience of this rally, so we will be searching for maximum performance while still discovering the roads. It’s about as close to circuit racing as rallying gets. This will be the most challenging tarmac round of the year to get right; we need to make sure the car has the right setup and great balance to get a good feeling across the flowing, smooth roads without degrading the tyres too quickly. We’re going to Gran Canaria to compete at the very top, targeting a podium finish. In rallying it’s always hard to predict how it’s going to be, but we will do everything from our side to be competitive.”

Crew Notes: Adrien Fourmaux/Alexandre Coria (#16 Hyundai i20 N Rally1)

• Fourmaux’s victory at 2020 ERC event bolsters Gran Canaria credentials
• Crew scored podium at Rallye Monte-Carlo on mixed conditions tarmac roads

Fourmaux said: “Having competed at Rally Islas Canarias in 2020, some of the stages will be quite familiar to me. I know what the grip is like both when it’s dry and when it’s wet, so this sets us up well for all possibilities. This event is a pure tarmac rally, so precision is required across the pace notes, the lines we are taking on the stages and managing the tyres. It’s completely different on this surface; everything goes faster, and you can feel every steering adjustment on the tyres straight away, so it’s really reactive. The transition from gravel to tarmac can feel like driving a completely different car and the G-force we take can be a lot. The aim is to deliver as strong a result as we can – I would like to get back on the podium, or even take it one step further.”

Weekend at a Glance

• Six stages form Friday’s itinerary: two loops of Valsequillo-Telde (SS1/4, 26.32km), Vallesco-Artenara (SS2/5, 15.27km) and La Aldea-Mogan (SS3/6, 17.83km)
• Saturday features seven stages – Moya-Galdar (SS7/10, 24.09km), Arucas-Firgas-Teror (SS8/11, 13.75km), Tejeda-San Mateo (SS9/12, 23.30km) and Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (SSS13, 1.80km)
• Five shorter stages bring the event to a close: Agüimes-Santa Lucia (SS14/17, 14.97km), Maspalomas (SS15/18, 13.47km) and Costa Canaria (SSS16, 1.50km).