› Estonians Robert Virves and Jakko Viilo power a Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 from team Toksport WRT to the WRC2 title in the FIA World Rally Championship*.
› Teemu Suninen/Antti Haapala from Finland take the FIA European Rally Championship with a Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 from The Racing Factory*.
› Dominik Stříteský and co-driver Ondřej Krajča are victorious in the Czech Rally Championship for the Auto Podbabská Škoda Team.
Mladá Boleslav, 9 October 2026 – The 2026 rally season was another highly successful one for Škoda Motorsport and its customer teams. Three major titles were won by crews relying on the Škoda Fabia RS Rally2. They took the titles in WRC2, which is the main support category of the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC)*, the FIA European Rally Championship (ERC)* and the Czech Rally Championship (MČR).
With four victories and two second places across their seven nominated WRC events, Robert Virves and Jakko Viilo became WRC2 Champions*. The 26-year-old Estonian and his 31-year-old compatriot won the category on Safari Rally Kenya, Acropolis Rally Greece, Rally Estonia and Rally Finland. Sharing a Škoda Fabia RS Rally2, they added two second places in Chile and Italia. “I had an incredible season. Škoda Motorsport has provided me a car which was superfast and reliable. I would like to thank especially my co-driver Jakko and the whole Toksport WRT team. Without their support, it would not have been possible to win the title,” emphasized Robert Virves at the finish of the WRC season finale on the Mediterranean island of Sardinia. His biggest success so far was winning the FIA Junior World Rally Championship in 2022.
Robert Virves is the eighth Škoda driver to win a WRC2/WRC2 Pro/WRC2 Open title. He and Jakko Viilo also took the title of the 2026 WRC2 Challenger category, which is reserved for drivers who have not yet won a major international title.
One of the main opponents for Robert Virves in the WRC2 category was Teemu Suninen from Finland. Together with co-driver Antti Haapala, the 32-year-old also competed in the FIA European Rally Championship. They drove a Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 from The Racing Factory team to victory at Rally Poland, came second on Rally di Roma Capitale in Italy, Barum Czech Rally Zlín and Rali Ceredigion in Wales. They also scored valuable points in Spain, finishing fourth at the Andalusia Rally-Sierra Morena – Córdoba World Heritage Site. The results made Teemu Suninen and Antti Haapala the FIA European Rally Champions*. This is the first major title of the Finns’ career.
Dominik Stříteský, on the other hand, claimed the Czech Rally Championship title for the second time: two years after his first overall triumph, he again became the 2026 Czech Rally Champion. Together with co-driver Ondřej Krajča, he competed for the Auto Podbabská Škoda Team. Out of six events, they won Rallye Český Krumlov, Agrotec Petronas Rally Hustopeče, Rally Bohemia and Rally Pačejov outright. This success puts 26-year-old Dominik Stříteský in the footsteps of record champion and local hero Jan Kopecký, who won the national title eleven times at the wheel of a Škoda.
“I’m really proud of our successful Škoda teams, their drivers and co-drivers. My special congratulations go to Robert, Jakko, Teemu and Antti for presenting Škoda Motorsport with two of the most important international titles to be won with a Rally2 car. Hats off also to Dominik and Ondřej, who achieved the sixth consecutive title for Škoda in our home championship. This gives our staff back at Mladá Boleslav even more motivation to further improve the Škoda Fabia for the 2027 season,” says Michal Hrabánek, Head of Škoda Motorsport.
2026 is not the first year that Škoda drivers have secured these three titles in addition to winning multiple national and regional championships around the world. In 2019, Kalle Rovanperä from Finland, who would go on to become World Champion, was successful in the WRC2 Pro category, Chris Ingram from Britain won the FIA European Rally Championship and Jan Kopecký added another Czech title to his collection. In 2021, Norwegian Andreas Mikkelsen won both the WRC2 category and the FIA European Rally Championship, while Jan Kopecký dominated the Czech Rally Championship. He successfully defended his title in 2022, when Emil Lindholm from Finland became the WRC2 Champion and Efrén Llarena from Spain took the European title.
* Subject to confirmation of the results by the FIA
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