Absent from the calendar in 2025, the Rally Croatia makes its return with a radically different geography. The operational base leaves Zagreb for the coastal city of Rijeka, some 150 kilometers to the southwest, with the service park set up at the Grobnik circuit. A direct consequence: almost all of the special stages are new for the World Rally Championship (WRC), only three of them having already appeared in the program.
The rally unfolds over three days. On Friday, four special stages will be run west of the Istrian peninsula, each twice on either side of the midday service area. Saturday will follow the same format east of Rijeka, with a tire fitting zone in Karlovac. On Sunday, two repeated special stages overlooking the Kvarner Gulf and the Adriatic Sea will conclude the event after Thursday evening’s Shakedown in central Rijeka.
Toyota is the clear favorite in Croatia
The balance sheet of Toyota His record at this event is undeniable: four editions contested as part of the WRC, four victories. Elfyn Evans won in 2023 and also has two second-place finishes. He enters this edition leading the Drivers’ Championship, with an eight-point advantage over his teammate Oliver Solberg. Three points behind is Takamoto Katsuta, fresh from his first WRC victory in Kenya.
Toyota also maintains a 43-point lead in the Manufacturers’ Championship, with the same trio of drivers nominated. Sami Pajari completes the lineup for TGR-WRT2, fresh off two consecutive podium finishes in Sweden and Kenya, where he finished third. Yuki Yamamoto, from the TGR WRC Challenge program, makes his return after missing Rally Sweden following an accident during practice. “My recovery went well and I’m really looking forward to getting back behind the wheel of a rally car in Croatia.”he said. Sébastien Ogier confirmed following the Safari Rally that the Croatia event is not on his partial calendar, so we will have to wait until at least the Rally of Spain in the Canary Islands from April 23 to 26 to see him back behind the wheel of his Toyota.
Tests under highly variable conditions
The drivers’ preparation was marked by a wide variety of conditions. Evans raced on wet and muddy roads, Katsuta even encountered snow, while Pajari benefited from dry weather on fast, flowing roads. This disparity reflects what Croatia, as Solberg describes, can offer. “A bit like a scaled-down Monte Carlo Rally […] A rather dirty and slippery track, with lots of tight corners.” Pajari agrees with this view: “Usually, it’s a pretty difficult and muddy course, with lots of tight turns, so it’s not going to be a walk in the park.”
For championship leader Elfyn Evans, there are many unknowns this year with the move to the coast: “We’ll need to see what the new special stages look like once we’re there, and write a lot of new route notes during the reconnaissance.” Katsuta, for his part, pushed the experiment even further during his trials: “During our tests, it rained a lot and it even snowed! With all these new special stages, we should expect some surprises.”
Team director Jari-Matti Latvala sees this variability as a favorable environment: “When grip conditions change, a driver can make all the difference if they feel confident. Our car is performing excellently on asphalt and all our drivers seem very confident lately.”
Three rallies in five weeks to kick off the tarmac season
Croatia kicks off a busy period for Toyota and the entire WRC field: three rounds in five weeks, including two consecutive asphalt rallies, with the Canary Islands two weeks later. A return to gravel in Portugal (May 7-10) will follow before another asphalt run in Japan the weekend of May 28-31. Katsuta, who will be competing on home soil, already has his sights set on this event. “The Rally Japan will be another important event for me and the team. It’s a good opportunity for us to test different options and find the best setup on this surface.”
However, before that, the Croatia event will therefore be an opportunity for Toyota to potentially confirm its dominance in an event where it is announced as the overwhelming favorite.
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