A total of 57 crews from 20 countries, eight of them Croatian have entered for WRC Croatia Rally 2023. This year, eight-time world champion, Frenchman Sebastien Ogier, arrives in Croatia as the leader in the WRC standings. Alongside him, the Toyota lineup will be completed by last year's Croatia Rally winner Finland's Kalle Rovanpera, who is also reigning world champion and Welshman Elfyn Evans. As the fourth driver, unable to score manufacturers points, Japan's Takamoto Katsuta was registered. The Hyundai arrives with three crews. They are led by Belgium's Thierry Neuville, with Ireland's Craig Breen and Finland's Esapeka Lappi. Estonia's Ott Tanak will be a confidant of MSport alongside Pierre-Louis Loubet. A big crowd is at the top of the championship standings, the drivers have settled from first to fifth place within just 12 points.
Croatia will be represented by eight crews led by Martin Ravenščak who has entered with Ford Fiesta Rally3 in the WRC3 class. Four drivers will compete in Rally4 cars, Tomas Hrvatin, Željko Magličić, Jan Pokos and Marko Lončarić. There are also Vjekoslav Čičko, Slaven Šekuljica and Igor Mandić in Renaults Clio Rally5, as well as an old acquaintance from Croatian special stages Janos Szilagyi in a Rally4 class car.
"The preparations for this year's Croatia Rally are in the final stages. Everything falls into place slowly. We have published Google Maps on our website, and soon we expect the release of the application with navigation to all special stages. Ticket sales are going well and I hereby invite everyone to buy them in advance, to avoid waiting in lines on the entrances to the special stages. Soon the teams will arrive in Croatia for pre event tests. The television broadcast from Croatia will visit millions of homes around the world this year also. I wish all drivers, their teams, and especially our Croatian crews good luck and a good performance", said Daniel Šaškin, President of the Organizing Committee of Croatia Rally.
