The 55th Barum Czech Rally Zlín knows its exact date!

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8. 10. 2025 - Roman Ordelt

The international motorsport competition BARUM CZECH RALLY ZLÍN will take place from August 14 to 16 in 2026. The Zlín region will celebrate a small anniversary in the form of the 55th edition of the event. As previously announced, the competition is a stable part of the prestigious FIA European Rally Championship (ERC) series for the next three years. The popular Barum Rally is one of the pillars of the European Championship and one of the highlights of the competition season not only in the Czech Republic.

Motorsport fans still remember this year's Barum Rally, when Jan Kopecký returned to the winning throne after a year's break. In the hot summer, the eleven-time Czech champion celebrated his twelfth victory in Zlín! Driving a Škoda Fabia RS Rally2, alongside of co-driver Jiří Hovorka he crossed the finish line less than eleven seconds ahead of Jon Armstrong from Ireland. "It was a very successful year, one of the best in history. Thanks to all partners for their support. Without their help we would not have been able to organize an event of such an European importance. Big thanks to all the organizers, not only on the special stages. Similar to previous years, they were exposed to an extreme heat. And last but not least, we need to thank all the fans, there were more of them than in previous years and they created great atmosphere," said Ing. Jan Regner, director of Barum Czech Rally Zlín.

The organizers from the Barum Zlín Auto Club managed to return the legendary section from Kateřinice to Pržno to the Barum rally itinerary after 29 years. Last year's version of the Bunč stage was run for the second time, this time with a start behind the village of Salaš, and the competition cars visited a significant pilgrimage site in front of the cathedral in Velehrad as part of the regrouping check. "The response from the FIA official was very positive, which was also confirmed by the evaluation report from the safety delegate. The spectator zones, the organizational management of the special stages, the safety features on the track and the significant promotion of the competition are all evaluated positively," Regner specified.

Next year, Barum rally will be part of the European Championship for forty-second time, as the first time European points were contested in Zlín in 1984! The proven date of the competition remains unchanged. "We are sticking to the line from previous years, which means the competition will be held in mid-August. We have already had the first negotiations regarding the composition of the course for the next year. We want to have a final schedule by the beginning of November so that we can contact the municipal authorities and institutions. The rally timeline will remain unchanged, with the distribution of itineraries on Wednesday morning and then the reconnaissance runs will begin. On Friday morning, there will be a qualifying stage and shakedown, followed by a ceremonial start in front of the Zlín Town Hall and a city special stage that will be attractive to spectators. The main event of two sections will be run during the weekend," concluded Jan Regner, competition director.

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