Rallye Isla de Tenerife: which roads are closed today
Tenerife is running a rally this weekend. The 52nd Rallye Orvecame Isla de Tenerife opened on Friday 4 September with a shakedown, the ceremonial start and a night stage, and finishes on Saturday 5 September. According to preview coverage, including Libertad Digital Canarias and the outlet La Voz Canaria, 87 crews are entered, facing nine timed stages and more than 100 kilometres against the clock.
Photo: kallerna, CC BY-SA 3.0 (Symbolbild).
For everyone who is not here for the motorsport, one question matters most: which road is shut, and when? This piece pulls together the timetable, the road closures that have actually been published, and the official safety message for spectators — and says plainly where no closure times are available.
Saturday's timetable
According to the published schedules, the second leg starts on Saturday morning at 07:30 from La Gallega, which also hosts the service park. Four stages follow, each run twice:
Porís – Arico Viejo (13.77 km) at 08:40 and 11:13. Icor – Fasnia (11.2 km) at 09:23 and 11:56. After the midday service halt, Arafo – Los Loros (13.06 km) at 14:51 and 18:12, and La Esperanza – Casas Altas (8.34 km) at 15:44 and 19:05.
The finish returns to the capital: the first competitor is expected at the Plaza de España in Santa Cruz de Tenerife at about 19:45, according to preview reports. Note that these are the start times of the first car — the rest of the 87-car field takes considerably longer to clear each stage.
The closure that affects most people today: the TF-523
The only Saturday closure published with specific times that we could verify comes from the traffic notice issued by the town of Candelaria, reported by the outlet canariasenpleno.com. It covers the Arafo – Los Loros stage on the TF-523, from kilometre 3.730 to the junction with the TF-24 ridge road.
Two closure windows are announced: 13:45 to 17:00 and 17:15 to 20:15. If your route runs from the coast near Güímar or Arafo up to the ridge — or the other way, down from the La Esperanza / TF-24 area — treat that link as unavailable for the whole afternoon and evening, and plan a wide detour via the TF-1 motorway or the northern route.
For the two south-eastern stages — Porís – Arico Viejo and Icor – Fasnia, in the municipalities of Arico and Fasnia — we found no publicly issued closure times. That roads there will be shut follows from the timetable itself; the exact windows are announced by the town halls, the Cabildo and the organisers through their own channels. We deliberately do not quote times we cannot source.
What applied on Friday — and what it teaches
Friday is a good illustration of how these closures are handled in practice. For the "Cuesta Las Tablas" shakedown on the TF-28, the Candelaria traffic notice covered the section between kilometre 13.130 (by the Bar Agrícola) and kilometre 10.960 (the junction with the Vía del Cabildo), closed between the Curva Juan Pestano and the access to the Vía del Cabildo towards the TF-1; the times given were 10:50 to 13:30, with the run itself from 11:30 to 13:00.
In the evening came the Tabaiba – Igueste de Candelaria stage (7.36 km, first car at 20:00) on the TF-28 between kilometre 7.490 and 14.690 and on the TF-252 from kilometre 0 to 0.280. The traffic disruption was scheduled from 18:55 to 22:30.
The detail that matters for residents: to allow access to Barranco Hondo, the road was to be opened for five minutes at 20:20, 20:55, 21:30 and 22:05 — and in an emergency, the notice said, it is opened whenever necessary. Access to Igueste was routed via Calle Francisco Garabote García, and via Morra María del Carmen and Cruz Colorada. Those timed windows are the pattern used elsewhere on the route too.
The rally in numbers — and who to watch
The event is organised by Rallyten Sport and covers, according to preview coverage, 358.70 kilometres in total, split into two legs, five sections and nine timed stages. The service park is on Avenida El Bicácaro in La Gallega; scrutineering took place on the port esplanade at Avenida Marítima in Santa Cruz, and the ceremonial start was held at the Plaza de España at 18:45 on Friday.
Points are at stake in, among others, the Campeonato AON de Rallyes de Tenerife, the Santa Cruz de Tenerife provincial championship and the island championship for historic regularity cars, according to preview reports. So this is not a round of an international series but the big classic of the island calendar — which does nothing to reduce the crowds on the stages.
As the crew to watch, previews point to Sergio Fuentes and Teco Hernández, winners of the previous edition, who are aiming to repeat. This piece says nothing about the results of this edition: at the time of writing the rally had not finished.
Watching safely: the official message
Santa Cruz de Tenerife's sports councillor, Alicia Cebrián, called on fans to enjoy the motorsport weekend but, in the city's own words, "always responsibly". The essentials, she said, are to follow the instructions of the organisers, the marshals and the security forces, to stand only in the places set aside for spectators, and to avoid dangerous behaviour.
Preview coverage also refers to an extensive safety operation and repeats the request that fans use only the authorised zones. A complete public map of the authorised zones for every stage was not available to us — so what counts is the signage on the ground and what the marshals tell you.
In practice: arrive early, because turning up shortly before a closure can leave you stuck on the wrong side of it. And a car parked inside a closed section can block emergency vehicles when it matters most — the parking bans around the stages are not a formality.
If you live inside a closed section: in Candelaria on Friday, timed five-minute windows were provided for getting through, and the road is opened at once in an emergency. Ask the marshal at the nearest closure point — they know the window for your section.
Closure times are planning figures in any case: after an accident, a recovery or a delay to the schedule, a road can stay shut longer than announced. If you have a ferry or a flight to catch, leave generous margins.
At a glance
- Event: 52nd Rallye Orvecame Isla de Tenerife, Friday 4 to Saturday 5 September 2026, organised by Rallyten Sport.
- Scale: 87 crews entered, nine timed stages, more than 100 kilometres against the clock, 358.70 kilometres in total across two legs and five sections (per preview coverage).
- Saturday: leg start 07:30 in La Gallega; stages Porís – Arico Viejo (08:40/11:13), Icor – Fasnia (09:23/11:56), Arafo – Los Loros (14:51/18:12), La Esperanza – Casas Altas (15:44/19:05); first car at the finish around 19:45 at the Plaza de España.
- Confirmed Saturday closure: TF-523 from km 3.730 to the TF-24 junction, 13:45 to 17:00 and 17:15 to 20:15 (Candelaria town traffic notice).
- Service park: Avenida El Bicácaro, La Gallega; ceremonial start and finish area at the Plaza de España in Santa Cruz de Tenerife.
- Championships: including the Campeonato AON de Rallyes de Tenerife and the Santa Cruz de Tenerife provincial championship.
FAQ
- Does the rally run on Friday or Saturday?
- Both. Friday 4 September brought the shakedown, scrutineering, the ceremonial start at 18:45 and the night stage Tabaiba – Igueste de Candelaria at 20:00. Saturday 5 September is the main day, with eight of the nine timed stages and the finish at around 19:45.
- Which road is definitely closed on Saturday?
- The TF-523 between kilometre 3.730 and the junction with the TF-24, in two windows: 13:45 to 17:00 and 17:15 to 20:15. That is the closure published with specific times in the Candelaria town traffic notice.
- I live inside a closed section — can I get out?
- Usually yes, but only in timed windows. For Friday's stage, Candelaria announced five-minute openings at 20:20, 20:55, 21:30 and 22:05, and the notice said the road is opened as soon as needed in an emergency. Check with the marshal at the nearest closure point.
- Where am I allowed to stand as a spectator?
- Only in the zones released by the organisers and where the marshals allow it. The city of Santa Cruz has explicitly asked spectators to stay in the designated places, follow the instructions of the organisation and the security forces, and avoid dangerous behaviour.
- Which championship does the rally count for?
- According to preview coverage, it scores for the Campeonato AON de Rallyes de Tenerife, the Santa Cruz de Tenerife provincial championship and the island championship for historic regularity cars, among others. It is not a round of an international series.
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