Rally racing has always been in a league of its own. It’s kind of like Formula 1’s estranged sibling. Where F1 boasts smooth tracks and luxury partnerships, the World Rally Championship (WRC) prefers the beaten path. They’re both governed by the FIA, but their racing styles couldn’t be more different.

However, like F1, the WRC has historically been rooted in Europe and Asia, though the tides are starting to change in favor of North American venues. After a nearly 40-year hiatus, the WRC is heading back to our shores for a gritty battle on American soil. It’s a huge win for American rally fans, but it’s also a win for Ford, which has been involved with the WRC for over 50 years.

Ford was an early investor in the WRC, pitting a few Ford Escorts and Capris against well-established European teams in the WRC’s inaugural rally in Monte Carlo, Monaco, in 1973. Only 44 of the 278 starters finished the race. The mighty Fords fared well, all things considered. Of the 21 that entered, three finished the race, with the top finisher landing in fourth place behind a pack of Alpine-Renaults.

Since then, Ford teams have earned plenty of WRC accolades, even after losing factory backing and transitioning into a semi-factory, semi-privateer model in 2013. However, Ford recently announced it would return to the WRC with full factory backing beginning in 2028. It’s interesting timing, given the American automaker is about to compete on its home turf next year. Ford also announced that a brand-new WRC car is coming in 2029.

The current landscape for rally racing in the U.S. is dominated by the American Rally Association (ARA), which is a bit more grassroots than the FIA’s WRC. The ARA’s lineup of competing cars looks similar to the global rally scene, with Subaru, Hyundai, and Toyota often leading the pack.

Apart from Ford, American automakers never really got into the rally spirit. General Motors owned Opel and backed its rally team in the 1980s, but GM’s primary brand, Chevrolet, has only provided limited support for a few rally-based Sonic and Cruze models over the years. Stellantis’ U.S. brands haven’t caught the rally bug either, though its global brands include historic rally victors like Lancia, Peugeot, and now Opel.

The WRC hasn’t yet released an official location for Rally US, but it scouted locations in Tennessee and Kentucky this summer, and reports say the route will likely land in the Knoxville, Tennessee, area with some crossover into Kentucky. Tickets will go on sale closer to the event, which will take place from August 26–29.

Alayna Wilkening grew up reading motorsport magazines and following her grandpa around his Chevrolet dealership's showroom floor. In true Hoosier fashion, her first car was a hot pink custom cardboard "Fiero-vette" for her kindergarten Kindy 500 race. She now autocrosses a 1994 Miata with her dad, which she learned to drive the night before her first event. Alayna went to Indiana University and graduated with a degree in journalism and a minor in graphic design. As a testament to her great taste in cars, her first real one was a metallic orange 2007 Chevy HHR, which she lovingly called "The Dumptruck."

Extracted and lightly reformatted for readability. · Source: pt