WRC Officially Returning To The US And Just 4 Hours Or Less Away From Atlanta
The FIA World Rally Championship is coming back to the United States. On October 8, 2026, the FIA World Motor Sport Council approved a 15-round 2027 calendar that includes Rally US, August 26–29, 2027 — the first WRC round on American soil since 1988.
Rally US is round 11 of 15 and runs on gravel. It sits in a late-summer run of seven straight gravel events: Estonia and Finland in late July, then the US, followed by Scotland, Paraguay, Chile and a Saudi Arabia finale. The 15 rounds make it the longest WRC calendar since 2008, and the season also debuts the new, cheaper WRC27 car regulations.
FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem framed the US as a chance to grow the sport where interest in rallying keeps rising. WRC Promoter CEO Éric Boullier said the US and UK returns create big opportunities for manufacturers, partners and fans. The official release singled out Ford as a manufacturer partner that stands to benefit, though Ford Racing’s own factory return isn’t due until 2028.
Where It Will Be Held
Rally US will run on gravel roads in East Tennessee and eastern Kentucky, with Motorsport.com reporting the event will be based around Knoxville, Tennessee. The official WRC release itself names only the country and dates — no host city or service park yet — so expect the base, route and spectator areas to be confirmed in a follow-up announcement.
The Tennessee–Kentucky region is where the bid was tested. The WRC’s event page says proposed stages, infrastructure and venues in both states were assessed against world-championship standards during the FIA’s 2026 candidate programme. Earlier versions of the project were headquartered in Chattanooga, using forest roads in the Cherokee National Forest and Polk County.
| Detail | What’s known |
|---|---|
| Event | Rally US, round 11 of 15 |
| Dates | August 26–29, 2027 |
| Surface | Gravel |
| Region | East Tennessee and eastern Kentucky |
| Reported base | Knoxville, TN (not yet in the official release) |
| How to watch | Every stage live on Rally.TV |
What It Means For WRC Fans In Atlanta
For Atlanta rally fans, the world championship will be a day trip away. Knoxville sits roughly 200 miles north of downtown Atlanta — about 3 to 3½ hours up I-75, with no tolls and no flights needed. That makes Atlanta one of the largest metro areas within easy driving range of the event.
| From Atlanta to | Approx. distance | Approx. drive |
|---|---|---|
| Chattanooga, TN (earlier bid HQ) | 120 mi | 2 hr |
| Knoxville, TN (reported base) | 200 mi | 3–3½ hr |
| Eastern Kentucky forest stages | 300+ mi | 5 hr or more |
Distances are approximate highway figures; the exact stage locations haven’t been published.
Atlanta also matters to the event beyond its fan base. Hartsfield-Jackson is the obvious international gateway for overseas teams and visitors, with short connections to Knoxville’s McGhee Tyson Airport. And the North Georgia mountains share the same Appalachian terrain — narrow, twisty, tree-lined roads — that convinced WRC officials the region could host a world-class gravel rally. Late August in the South also means heat and humidity, so plan on water and shade if you go to stand by a stage.
WRC Has Been In the US Before – But It’s Been A Long Road Back
The 2027 slot caps more than three years of trial events in the Southeast. Earlier target dates of 2024 and 2026 both slipped before the bid got over the line.
| When | Milestone |
|---|---|
| Oct 8, 2026 | FIA World Motor Sport Council approves the 2027 calendar with Rally US |
| June 11–17, 2026 | FIA candidate event: delegates watch the Southern Ohio Forest Rally, then assess proposed Tennessee and Kentucky stages |
| Jan 27, 2026 | FIA confirms a formal pathway for the WRC’s US return |
| July 2025 | 2026 calendar published without a US round; promoter shifts target to 2027 |
| June 2024 | Tennessee Rally USA exhibition event runs out of Chattanooga |
| April 2023 | First WRC demonstration event near Reliance, Tennessee |
Rally US promoter Matt Crews has led the push, working with the US motorsport authority ACCUS, the American Rally Association and the FIA. WRC drivers have been vocal backers: Oliver Solberg, who won ARA rounds in 2019, called America one of the best places in the world to go rallying.
The Last Time WRC Was In The US: The Olympus Rally, 1986–88
The WRC last visited the US for the Olympus Rally in Washington State, run around Olympia and Tacoma in the Pacific Northwest. A national event since 1973, it was observed by the FIA in 1985 and held world-championship status for three seasons, 1986 through 1988. Lancia won all three.
| Year | Winner | Car | Why it mattered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Miki Biasion | Lancia Delta Integrale | Last WRC round held in the US |
| 1987 | Juha Kankkunen | Lancia Delta HF 4WD | First running under Group A rules |
| 1986 | Markku Alén | Lancia Delta S4 | Season finale and the final WRC rally for Group B supercars |
The 1986 edition is the one fans remember. It started under TV lights in the Tacoma Dome, and Alén’s win against Kankkunen’s Peugeot looked to have sealed the title — until a ruling annulling an earlier round handed the championship to Kankkunen 11 days later. The 1987 event even ran a stage through Seattle’s Golden Gardens park, the only WRC stage ever held inside the city.
The event faded fast. By 1988 it had lost its title sponsor and drew only 29 starters, well short of the 50 entries the governing body required, and the WRC did not return. Before Olympus, the only other US world-championship round was the Press-on-Regardless Rally in Michigan in the early 1970s. Olympus still runs today as a round of the American Rally Association championship, using some of the same roads.
