Juha Kankkunen welcomed the appointment of Eric Boullier as the new WRC Promoter CEO, but immediately challenged him to accelerate work on future calendars and regulations following the major announcement at WRC Finland 2026.
The FIA confirmed that WRC Promoter GmbH has been acquired by Cosmobilis and Park Square Capital. In its statement, the FIA described the agreement as the biggest commercial deal in the history of the World Rally Championship and European Rally Championship, although the length of the agreement was not disclosed.
The announcement arrived while Friday’s final Rally Finland stage, the Harju super special stage, was still under way. Boullier, an experienced motorsport executive best known for his Formula 1 career, was subsequently confirmed as the new Chief Executive Officer of WRC Promoter.
“That’s good. I’ve known him for a long time from Formula 1, but also from elsewhere,” Kankkunen said. However, the Toyota deputy team principal believes urgent work already awaits Boullier after the WRC spent considerable time waiting for clarity over its promoter structure.
“Now he needs to roll up his sleeves and get to work. The first priority is to get the calendars and the new regulations sorted out,” Kankkunen said. “In that sense, the timing is good because now someone has to start getting things done. In reality, we’re already a bit late. These things should have been decided much earlier.”
Kankkunen said he only learned of the official announcement from journalists, although Boullier’s presence had already made him suspect that a significant development was coming. The pair had sat opposite each other at the mayor’s dinner, where Boullier asked him numerous questions about different aspects of the championship.
Kankkunen declined to speculate about Boullier’s plans for the future of the WRC and stressed that his own focus remains on Toyota’s drivers. He nevertheless believes change is necessary to protect the championship’s future. “Of course it is. If we don’t want this sport to disappear, then something has to be done,” he said.
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