Motovun at full throttle: WRC on the Roads of Istria

A high-octane spectacle is returning to Croatia — this time also to the roads of Istria. WRC Croatia Rally 2026 will take place from April 9 to 12, while the Istrian stage will be run on Friday, April 10.

Istria becomes part of the FIA World Rally Championship route, with drivers facing two attractive special stages. The first, Lake Butoniga – Motovun, measures 13.78 kilometres, while the second, Beram – Cerovlje, brings 23.78 kilometres of demanding corners and rhythm changes. Both stages will be driven twice, meaning rally crews will complete more than 75 kilometres of special stages in Istria that day.

Over four days the rally caravan passes through several Croatian regions — Istria, Primorje-Gorski Kotar, Karlovac and Lika-Senj counties. The service park will be located at Grobnik, the start in Rijeka, and the finish ceremony in Opatija.

The arrival of the WRC brings strong sporting and tourism promotion for the region, as the event is followed by a global audience, while details regarding traffic regulation and spectator zones will be announced later.

For Istrian roads, it means one thing — Motovun and its surroundings will become a world rally stage for a day, filled with the sound of engines, thousands of spectators and a rare adrenaline-charged atmosphere.