Based in the east coast town of Olbia, rugged and sun-baked gravel tracks in the north of the picture postcard Mediterranean island ensure one of the season’s sternest challenges. Fast and narrow stages leave no margin for error, while intense heat combines with abrasive roads to test tyres to the limit.

About the rally

One of the founding rounds from the championship’s beginning in 1973, Italy’s WRC counter was formerly a mixed surface event based in Sanremo before it moved to the Mediterranean island of Sardinia in 2004.

Fast but narrow stages lined with bushes, trees or rocks on the edge leave no room for error, while the hard-base roads are covered by a sandy surface which is swept away during the first pass to leave rougher and rutted conditions for the second run.

Adding to the challenge are the temperatures, which can exceed 30°C. It will be uncomfortable in the cars with higher-than-normal stress on engines and transmissions.

Sébastiens Loeb and Ogier top the roll of honour and have won the event four times in its current format (since it moved to Sardinia in 2004).

Top 3 Highlights

• The Monte Lerno stage, which runs twice on Friday. This year it has been extended to a whopping 49.92 kilometres in length!
• Micky’s Jump – one of the WRC’s iconic locations – also features in the Monte Lerno test. Cars fly high and long as the road literally drops away beneath them.
• The podium ceremony in Olbia on Sunday afternoon. After the trophies and anthems are done, it is traditional for the winning team to dive en masse into the harbour to cool off.

Servicepark

The hub moves from the west coast back to the picturesque seafront of Molo Brin, Olbia, in the east.

Event History

• Italy’s WRC counter was formerly a mixed surface event based in Sanremo, and known as the Rally of the Flowers when it was first held in 1928.
• It formed part of the WRC from the championship’s beginning in 1973.
• Michèle Mouton became the first and only woman to win a WRC round when she triumphed in 1981.
• The rally moved to the Mediterranean island of Sardinia in 2004.