Southeast Asia's Rally Ascent — Indonesia and Thailand Are Drawing a New Map
More APRC entries, growing domestic leagues, shifting sponsorship landscape — regional motorsport is changing
The 2026 FIA Asia-Pacific Rally Championship season has recorded its highest Southeast Asian entry count in five years. With Indonesia and Thailand at the forefront, the infrastructure of domestic rally competition in the region is developing at pace. WSJ reports on what is driving the change.
Indonesia's rally scene has undergone rapid growth since 2024. The Indonesia National Rally Championship (INRC), restructured after a period of fragmentation, has more than doubled its registered driver count from approximately 40 in 2022 to over 90 in 2026. The central driver of this growth is a shift in domestic marketing strategy among automotive manufacturers. Toyota Indonesia and Mitsubishi have each launched driver development programmes offering vehicle and cost support to young competitors, and rival manufacturers have begun following suit. The reduction in effective entry costs is the primary factor in the expanding participation base.
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