The FIA World Rally Championship returns to Croatia this Friday after a one-year break. Previously run from 2021 to 2024, the springtime event has often delivered highly variable weather conditions. This year, the challenge – and added intrigue – comes from a significantly revised route. The Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT2 duo Sami Pajari and Marko Salminen head into the event aiming to maintain their performance level after securing podium finishes in the previous two rounds of the season.
This year, the rally headquarters moves away from inland Zagreb to the coastal city of Rijeka. In previous editions, the area around Rijeka has featured as part of a single competition day, but now the city will serve as the central hub of the rally. When the event was last held in 2024, Rijeka hosted a regroup and tyre-fitting zone on the opening day – this time, it takes on a much larger role.
Weather conditions remain a key uncertainty. Snowfall has been reported on parts of the route even in the days leading up to the rally. With stages ranging from just over 100 metres above sea level to more than 1,000 metres in elevation, conditions can vary dramatically. Proximity to the sea may bring more than just scenic views, as moisture rising inland can lead to fog or rain at higher altitudes. Combined with Croatia’s often patchy and cut-up asphalt roads, this is unlikely to be an easy rally.
From a technical perspective, the event shares certain setup parameters with the Canary Islands round, meaning teams will run similar configurations—particularly in terms of differential settings—across two rallies with quite different characteristics. This could open the door to strategic variations between teams.
Historically, the Croatian event has suited Toyota well, with all previous editions won by the manufacturer. Pajari has also shown strong pace here in the lower categories, setting fastest stage times on each of his four previous appearances—although not without setbacks. Despite that, confidence remains high heading into the weekend.
“It’s great to be back on asphalt and return to Croatia after a year. The first part of the season has featured very different rallies—from Sweden to Kenya—and now again something completely different. My feeling in this car on asphalt has been good so far. Our first podium came on asphalt in Japan at the end of last year, so expectations are there.”
“Testing was done in dry conditions on quite fast and flowing roads, but we know the rally itself can be very different. It’s usually quite challenging and dirty here, with lots of cuts, so we’re not expecting it to be easy—but the feeling is good.”
Shakedown will take place north of Rijeka on Thursday morning, followed by the ceremonial start in the city centre later in the evening.
Friday (126.86 km of special stages) will be run to the northwest and west of Rijeka, featuring a loop of four stages driven twice. None of these stages have previously been used at WRC level.
On Saturday (115.96 km), the route heads east towards inland areas and Karlovac, where the midday service and tyre-fitting zone will be located. The day includes four stages run twice, mostly familiar from previous years, with one brand-new test included.
Sunday (57.46 km) concludes the rally with two new stages, each run twice, as the route heads southeast along the coastline from Rijeka.