World Rally Championship back in the US? / WRC

The United States, the car nation of the world, has been to the World Championships five times, with two different rallies in the early 70s and late 80s. From 1972 to 1974 it was the “Press on the Recordless” rally, which was the Olympus rally from 1986 to 1988, with your eyes closed. Tried several times and never came back. Now the next attempt has been made.

Mark de Jong, who is leading the plan to bring the World Rally Championship back to the United States, said in an interview with American media Jalopnik this week that the task is still enormous.

“Thinking about 2023 may seem a bit optimistic, but we’re doing our best. I do not think it’s a good idea to have a place like the Pacific coast. “

From 1985 to 1988, the World Rally Championship was held around Seattle with the Olympus Rally, some of which took place in the Pacific Ocean.

Other routes, such as the southern Appalachian Mountains, are being considered, “on the ‘Tail of the Dragon’ (a very hilly, winding sidewalk with lots of harpins) but on gravel.”

These two rallies are far from over in Utah, Colorado or New England. When an event comes up in the middle of the Rockies, Mark de Jong knows he will have to fight for community approval.

“I’m been lucky to drive around the world from WRC event to WRC event in the last 20 years. I’ve experienced some different approaches to safety, roadblocks and so on, and I’m never encountered anything that surprises me. They expect you to know, so I do not think anything will surprise us until we do our homework. “

According to De Jong, the current three manufacturers of WRC are very interested in a trip to the United States, especially to Ford.