WRC Returns to America After 38 Years, Remembering MICHELE MOUTON’s Legacy

February 4, 2026

• The FIA World Rally Championship officially announced its return to American soil after a 38-year absence, with a candidate event planned for Kentucky and Tennessee that could lead to full-scale events by 2027. While the announcement celebrates legendary drivers like Travis Pastrana and the late Ken Block, it also reminds us of MICHELE MOUTON’s groundbreaking achievements as the sport’s most successful female competitor during the iconic Group B era of the 1980s.
• The article positions WRC drivers as equally skilled to Formula One pilots, noting their mastery of both paved and unpaved surfaces requires “absolute masters in car control.” MOUTON exemplified this versatility, becoming the only woman to win a WRC event and finishing runner-up in the 1982 championship – achievements that remain unmatched decades later and deserve recognition alongside the male legends mentioned in the piece.
• FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem emphasized America’s “rapidly growing appetite for global competition,” though the sport’s return raises questions about whether modern WRC will provide the same opportunities for female drivers that allowed MOUTON to compete at the highest level. The last US event in 1988 came during an era when rally offered more pathways for women than many other motorsports – something worth preserving as the championship rebuilds its American presence.

group b rally, junior world rally championship, kentucky motorsports, rally america