A total of six Škoda crews finished inside the top ten of the WRC2 category at the brand-new World Championship event. Rally Paraguay proved unpredictable, with constant changes in the leaderboard. The best result for a Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 came from the crew of Nikolay Gryazin and Konstantin Aleksandrov.
This year marked the FIA World Rally Championship’s first-ever visit to Paraguay. For many drivers, it was uncharted territory—adding to the anticipation of an exciting contest. And indeed, no fewer than five different crews led WRC2 at various stages, including two with Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 cars. In the end, the best Škoda result was a third-place podium finish, with six Škoda crews securing points in the top ten.
From the start, Gryazin and Aleksandrov were the quickest of the Fabia RS Rally2 crews. On Friday they built up their pace steadily and ended the day just 9.1 seconds off the WRC2 leaders. On Saturday morning, Gryazin pushed hard and took the lead in the second stage of the day. However, the gap remained slim, with only a few seconds ‘lead and his rivals being also very fast and keeping the pressure on.
Then came a disaster in the penultimate stage of the day: a puncture. “Something was sticking out in a corner. I couldn’t avoid it, and the front-left tire instantly deflated. We had to stop and change it,” Gryazin reported. The incident in SS14 cost him 1 minute 43.5 seconds, dropping him to fourth place. That handed the lead to another Škoda crew—Estonians Robert Virves and Jakko Viilo.
Heading into Sunday, Virves and Viilo were in the lead. But heavy rain made conditions treacherous. “In one slippery section we hit a bank and spun 180 degrees into a ditch. Luckily, we managed to get out,” said Virves. Misfortune struck again in SS18, the penultimate test overall, with a puncture costing them around two minutes, and with it, their podium hopes.
Ultimately, punctures prevented Škoda crews from fighting for the very top, but overall, the rally was still a success. Thanks to his excellent pace, Gryazin recovered brilliantly to claim third place and 15 valuable championship points, keeping alive his hopes of a strong finish in the WRC2 standings. While many rivals (including current leaders) have only one more scoring opportunity left, Gryazin still has four rallies ahead to collect points.
Behind Gryazin, Fabrizio Zaldivar finished fourth in a Fabia RS Rally2, the top Paraguayan driver. Virves salvaged fifth place despite his bad luck, while local hero Augusto Bestard took sixth. More Paraguayan Škoda drivers followed - Franco Pappalardo was eighth, and Miguel Zaldivar Sr. claimed ninth along with victory in the WRC Masters Cup. It was a rally to forget for Gus Greensmith, previously the best-placed Škoda driver in the WRC2 standings. Forced to retire on Friday, he rejoined on Saturday but could manage to reach the finish line only on 15th place. That result dropped him behind Virves in the overall championship standings.
