For years we’ve been dreaming about skipping those first 700 kilometers and diving straight into the most epic, hidden backroads deep in the Balkans. At the 5th Balkan Rally, that dream finally comes true.

The race kicks off in Trogir, where most of the crew and the fleet will roll in on an overnight train from Vienna. After two warm-up days, a seaside opening party, and a short prologue, we crank the wheel 90 degrees east and shoot across the Dinaric Alps on a road the rally has never touched before. From there, we’ll throw it back to one of the most legendary stretches from the first four years: crossing into Montenegro on a wooden bridge, cruising past the turquoise waters of the Piva Canyon, and diving into the world-famous single-lane P14 road across Durmitor National Park all the way to Kolašin.

From Kolašin, we loop out east into Kosovo, only to return by nightfall. Then comes a first in Rally history: crossing into Albania. We’ll snake our way down an insane mountain track along the border until we hit Lake Skadar, famous for its birdlife, before swinging back north to Budva – Montenegro’s ancient coastal gem with 2,500 years of history behind its walls. The grand finale? The southern edge of the Bay of Kotor, where we’ll wrap things up in style with the Rally’s most luxurious closing night yet, at The Chedi Lustica Bay.