After an experiment that didn’t go as hoped, the Dinaric Rally has dropped the requirement that all riders have an FIM license and start permission from their respective country’s FIM member club to compete in the upcoming race.

Rally organizer Untamed Sport Club had introduced the policy with hopes of meeting FIM Europe certification, which would eventually pave the way to creating a Balkan Rally-Raid Championship; Untamed also hosts other rallies throughout Croatia like the Zagreb Rally later in April. Being under the FIM Europe umbrella would also guarantee full insurance coverage for each rider, which is provided by their national federation, and theoretically simplify the registration process since everyone would be licensed by the FIM.

However, Untamed soon learned that was not the case. Each national federation had its own application and license processes, ironically making things more convoluted, and some straight-up didn’t offer licenses for rallies at all. Untamed also found longtime Dinaric veterans, “with solid insurance and zero issues”, were often having to get past “low-level bureaucrats quoting vague rules in dusty offices” and other red tape.

To this end, some federations told Untamed to not bother with the rule because of how jumbled things were getting.

“So there we were — trying to be the good guys — and we ended up overcomplicating everything,” reads a statement from Untamed. “It didn’t help us. It didn’t help you. It didn’t help the sport.”

As a result, the rally instead maintains its status as an FIM Europe Open race.

Trying the license system again may be considered should the Balkan Rally-Raid Championship idea come to fruition, though Untamed stresses that will only be for those who intend to race the championship.

“For everyone else — the die-hards, the dreamers, the once-a-year legends, the nomads who don’t need permission to ride — Dinaric Rally will be open, free, and license-free,” the statement concluded.

Held in the Dinaric Alps, the Dinaric Rally is one of the largest rally raids in the Balkans. The 2025 edition is scheduled for August 23–29.