Lousada, the spiritual home of rallycross in Portugal, will join the FIA World Rallycross Championship for the first time in a new three-year agreement, with the popular Portuguese venue taking up an early-season slot on the series’ 2025 calendar*.
Located 50km from Porto, the Circuito Automóvel de Lousada was established in 1984, and has since become the hub of the Portuguese rallycross community. Lousada welcomed the FIA European Rallycross Championship from 1991 until 2008. Following a 17-year absence from the international rallycross scene, the track will return to the spotlight next season. The event will be run by the Clube Automóvel de Lousada (CAL) – the organisation responsible for introducing rallycross to Portugal.
Lousada has also been a regular feature in the FIA World Rally Championship, with Rally de Portugal visiting the circuit for a crowd-pleasing super-special stage every year since 2015.
Ahead of World RX’s maiden appearance, the circuit will undergo the first phase of a comprehensive redevelopment programme. Planned in two parts to be fully completed before the 2026 event, the initiative will retain the character and style of the original track while lifting the venue to World Championship level and includes an extension at turn three, a new joker lap and a new paddock alongside upgraded facilities.
The 2025 World RX event at Lousada is provisionally scheduled to take place on 2-4 May.
Arne Dirks, Managing Director, Rallycross Promoter GmbH, said:
“We are delighted to have reached an agreement with the Clube Automóvel de Lousada for at least the next three seasons. We have seen first-hand how much passion there is for motorsport in the Lousada region, and a lot of hard work has gone into putting this deal together. That work will continue ahead of the first World RX event at the circuit in 2025, with significant investment into the infrastructure in and around the track aimed at creating a first-class experience for competitors and fans alike.”
Luís Marinho, President, Clube Automóvel de Lousada (CAL), said:
“2024 will be remembered in Lousada as a historic milestone in motorsport. The Municipality’s acquisition of the land occupied by the track and its surroundings will allow for the modernisation and expansion of the facility, as well as the construction of a new paddock, and here we are announcing that Lousada is to host international rallycross events again. It is the realisation of a dream that few believed possible.”
Pedro Machado, Mayor of Lousada, said:
“Motorsport in Lousada has a long history, and with its extraordinary capacity for organising sporting events, CAL has played a fundamental role in the development of the sport in the Municipality, bringing the track to both national and international recognition. The Circuito Automóvel de Lousada has become an important landmark, not just as a venue for competition, but as a symbol of identity and pride for the community.
The World Rallycross Championship is indisputably one of the best series around, and to have reached a multi-year agreement with Rallycross Promoter is testament to a lot of hard work, willpower, persistence, professionalism and the spirit of collaboration and cooperation between the Municipality and CAL. 2025 will represent the start of a new, very promising era that will inspire future generations!”
*Subject to World Motor Sport Council Approval
