The votes have been counted and the results are in.
Last week, we asked you to submit your votes for the best event in the history of the World Rally Championship. Thousands of votes later, we’ve compiled the final ranking of the top 40 rallies to have ever graced a WRC calendar – as voted by you.
Over the course of this week we’ve revealed which rallies made your top 11-40, but now things are getting serious. It’s time to unveil which events have been voted as the 10 best WRC rallies of all time.
But, just to keep you in suspense that little bit longer, the top five won’t be revealed until tomorrow!
Here are the events that ranked 10-6:
10. Corsica
The Tour de Corse just sneaks into your top 10.
Held on the French island of Corsica, the rally is one of the WRC’s original classics, having hosted the championship 40 times dating right back to the series’ inaugural season in 1973, and the never-ending twists of this asphalt test earned the event its nickname: the Ten Thousand Turns Rally.
Corsica was an event where home advantage tended to pay dividends, with French drivers securing an amazing 28 of the 40 victories during the rally’s WRC stint, and none handled the tiring turns better than Didier Auriol, who holds a record six wins.
But the island is also associated with tragedy in rallying circles having been the site of several driver fatalities, none more infamous than the devastating passing of Henri Toivonen and co-driver Sergio Cresto in their Lancia Delta S4 in 1986 – the accident that effectively ended rallying’s Group B era.
9. New Zealand
Rally New Zealand has long been a favorite among WRC drivers, and it seems it’s one of your favorites too!
First hosting the championship in 1977, New Zealand established itself as a series regular, appearing on most WRC calendars throughout the 1980s, ’90s and early 2000s. Visits have been less frequent of late, but the championship did make the long journey to the South Pacific as recently as 2022, with Kalle Rovanperä winning that event to claim his first world title.
Drivers rave about New Zealand because of its fast flowing gravel roads, which provide an irresistible challenge as they sweep their way through forests and alongside stunning coastline. Some even go as far as saying the country offers the best rallying roads in the world, even better than Finland.
Speaking of Finland, Marcus Grönholm holds the record for New Zealand victories with five, including his memorable besting of Sébastien Loeb by just 0.3 seconds in 2007 – a victory that would turn out to be the Finn’s 30th and final in the WRC.
8. Acropolis Greece
Next in your ranking is another big name in WRC history: the Acropolis.
Taking its title from the ancient citadel in Athens under which the ceremonial start is held, the Acropolis Rally’s WRC history stretches back to the first world championship season in 1973, and has been part of the WRC 41 times in total.
The event has gained a fearsome reputation as a car-breaker, and its rough roads, jagged rocks, brutal heat and choking dust have stopped many of the WRC’s finest in their tracks over the years.
In this true test of patience and skill, Colin McRae holds the victory record with five Acropolis triumphs, somewhat defying his reputation as a man who typically drove flat out all the time.
Three of McRae’s wins came for Ford, which holds the record as the manufacturer to have conquered Greece’s brutal mountain roads the most, having won the Acropolis an impressive 13 times.
7. Sweden
Another of the WRC’s original calendar line-up has made it to number seven: Rally Sweden.
Traditionally the season’s only snow rally, Sweden has hosted the world championship 46 times, and brings a unique character to the WRC with its fast stages and banks of snow, which drivers can lean on with the aim of carrying more speed through Rally Sweden’s flowing corners.
But those snow banks can also bite, and almost all of the WRC’s best have ended up stuck in the snow over the years after overestimating the grip given by their studded tires.
Nordic drivers dominate the list of Rally Sweden’s WRC winners, with local man Stig Blomqvist sharing the most victories with Marcus Grönholm, both having five.
But those with more experience on snow haven’t always had it all their own way, as Sébastien Loeb became the first non-Nordic driver to win the event in 2004, while Sébastien Ogier, Thierry Neuville, Ott Tänak and Elfyn Evans have each since repeated that feat.
6. Estonia
Just missing out on a spot in your top five is Rally Estonia which, unlike the other rallies in today’s list, only has a short history in the WRC.
After hosting the WRC’s first rally back since the onset of the COVID pandemic in 2020, Rally Estonia has since established itself as a worthy event on the world championship tour, and has welcomed the WRC every year since.
Known for its fast gravel roads, somewhat controversial man-made jumps and a party-like atmosphere, Estonia went wild for its favored son as Ott Tänak took a home-ground victory – his first for Hyundai – on the inaugural edition of the rally.
Since then however, Rally Estonia has belonged to Kalle Rovanperä, who has won three times on the bounce including securing his first career victory in Estonia in 2021, a triumph which made him the youngest driver to win a WRC round at the age of just 21 years and 289 days.
