The Spanish squad will not line up at next season's opener, but they have set their sights on competing at Rally Croatia in April. That decision comes after the team hit its planned development milestones.
Unlike WRT Rally1 Spain, the other all-new manufacturer project confirmed for the 2027 season—RallyOne Project—has chosen to focus on a single surface. RallyOne will initially concentrate on the asphalt version of its car. WRT, however, does not want to limit itself to one terrain.
"We cannot guarantee that yet, as the final decision depends on the progress of the development and testing programme. However, we have currently reached our planned milestones, and Croatia remains our target," a team spokesperson said. The team's competition programme for the rest of the season is yet to be finalised.
"Our current plan would take us to Spain and Portugal, as well as the South American rounds in the second half of the season, possibly alongside some other rallies. However, the exact 2027 calendar has yet to be finalised, and we are currently working on our strategy," they added. The team stressed that the main objective is not simply to start as early as possible, but to arrive at their first rally with a properly developed, reliable car that is ready to compete.
Regarding the engine, the new regulations allow manufacturers to buy existing engines from Rally2 manufacturers, but WRT has opted for a different route. "In principle, using a ready-made engine would be the obvious option, but in reality, the companies producing these engines do not currently have the capacity to supply independent manufacturers with the quantities required for a programme of this kind," the team explained.
They have therefore decided to develop their own engine, based on a production engine already homologated in Group A. "This gives us greater control over the project and the future availability of engines," the team insisted, though they did not provide further details about the engine's origins or specifications.
There is also considerable interest in the team's future drivers. As Spain's national motorsport federation, RFEDA, is funding the project, it is assumed that at least one, or possibly two, Spanish drivers will compete in the new car next year. However, the team did not explicitly confirm that.
"We have already been in contact with several world-class drivers, as well as some highly talented young drivers who are extremely motivated and eager to demonstrate their potential," the team said. "That does not mean we have to choose between an established top driver and a young Spanish talent. They can fulfil different and complementary roles within the project, particularly when development, testing and competition are taken into account."
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