The history of the Rally Islas Canarias began discreetly on November 5, 1977, just days after the opening of El Corte Inglés on Avenida José Mesa y López in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. Initially organized by Escudería Drago, the event featured a short course with only six special stages and less than 30 kilometers timed, marking the beginning of a tradition that is now a source of pride for Canarian society.
The rally experienced continuous growth, increasing the number of participants and the length of its stages. In 1979, it achieved inclusion in the Spanish Championship, a crucial step for its consolidation. European projection arrived in 1982, when it inherited the spot from the Rally de Maspalomas, and throughout that decade, the then-known Rally El Corte Inglés steadily raised its European category, reaching the coveted coefficient 20 in the 1995 edition.
In 2002, Canarias Sport Competición took over the organization, renaming the event as Rally de Canarias ‘Trofeo El Corte Inglés’ until 2008. Under their management, the rally made a significant leap. From 2010, already with its official name of Rally Islas Canarias, it joined the Intercontinental Rally Challenge (IRC) and, later, in 2013, the revamped FIA European Rally Championship (FIA ERC), where it firmly established itself from 2016 to 2024, under the management of Todo Sport.
Undoubtedly, that period beginning in 2010 was decisive in establishing the Rally Islas Canarias on the international stage with the recognized notoriety that all of society understands today.
The culmination of this trajectory was announced in March 2024 from the Hotel AC Gran Canaria: its promotion to the World Rally Championship (WRC). Initially planned for the 2025 and 2026 seasons, the contract has been extended for several more years, solidifying the dream of Canarian fans and securing the rally's future among the world's elite.
