› Second place at the Welsh ERC round was enough for Teemu Suninen and Antti Haapala from Finland to secure the drivers’ and co-drivers’ title with one event still to go*.
› With Mikołaj Marczyk and Szymon Gospodarczyk from Poland in third position, another Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 crew finished on the podium.
› With fourth place overall, Max McRae/Cameron Fair (Škoda Fabia RS Rally2) win the British Rally Championship classification.
Aberystwyth (GBR), 7 September 2026 – Rali Ceredigion was a new experience for Teemu Suninen and co-driver Antti Haapala. However, the Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 crew from Finland delivered a stellar performance. By finishing second overall and winning the Power Stage, they amassed enough points to be crowned FIA European Rally Drivers’ and Co-Drivers’ Champions respectively*.
“It is my first visit to the Welsh tarmac. Considering the situation in the FIA European Championship standings, we don’t need to win. All I want are some good points,” said Teemu Suninen before the start. Additionally, the 32-year-old didn’t feel entirely well at that point. In contrast, Andrea Mabellini/Virginia Lenzi, the Finns’ main rivals in the championship, knew Rali Ceredigion from two previous appearances.
However, neither strategy nor illness prevented Teemu Suninen/Antti Haapala from powering The Racing Factory’s Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 through the Qualifying Stage with the fastest time. This gave the ERC points leaders the advantage of starting first and enjoying roads less polluted from corner cutting.
The rally started with two stages on the narrow streets of Aberystwyth. “It feels a little bit like the Rallye Monte-Carlo,” joked Teemu Suninen. Two more stages in the dark followed. The Finnish pairing finished the Friday leg with a lead of 0.9 seconds. Reigning FIA European Rally Champions Mikołaj Marczyk/Szymon Gospodarczyk in third position and Jakub Matulka/Damian Syty in fourth underlined the Škoda Fabia RS Rally2’s prowess on tarmac stages.
On Saturday morning, Teemu Suninen/Antti Haapala remained among the frontrunners, even though they had to relinquish the lead to eventual winners Kris Meeke/Noel O’Sullivan Jr. The stages were particularly challenging due to the rain and constantly changing grip. “It’s tempting to push at the same level as Kris. But I realised that we have the pace to match, not to catch,” admitted Teemu Suninen, who was still not fully fit. A spin, which luckily had no consequences other than the loss of a few seconds, didn’t help either. After twelve stages, Teemu Suninen/Antti Haapala trailed the leaders by 20.5 seconds.
At the end of the Saturday leg, Mikołaj Marczyk/Szymon Gospodarczyk and Jakub Matulka/Damian Syty still held third and fourth position respectively. Max McRae, nephew of the legendary Colin McRae, and co-driver Cameron Fair followed in a Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 from Kowax DST Racing.
Sunday could have ended in disaster for Teemu Suninen and Antti Haapala. They started the day with the fastest stage time. However, 8.4 kilometres into SS14, they spun in a tight right-hand corner and hit a roadside bank. Their Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 was damaged at the front. “Not ideal, but we'll try to carry on,” said Teemu Suninen. He nudged the car to the service, where The Racing Factory’s mechanics went to work. Thirty minutes later, the Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 was as good as new.
Polish pairing Jakub Matulka/Damian Syty were less fortunate. They escaped from a roll without any injuries. But their ORLEN Team Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 couldn’t go any further. Meanwhile, team mates Mikołaj Marczyk/Szymon Gospodarczyk didn’t take unnecessary risks and managed third place until the finish. Max McRae/Cameron Fair climbed one position during Sunday and came home fourth overall as well as best-placed crew registered for the British Rally Championship.
But for Teemu Suninen and co-driver Antti Haapala a lot was at stake at the Power Stage. Finishing second would earn them valuable championship points. But a fastest time across the rally-ending stage would mean an additional five points and winning both titles ahead of schedule. The Finns gave their team members, who were watching the live broadcast on Rally TV, a hard time. They chose “maximum attack”, powered their Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 through the final 11.26 kilometres on the limit – and won the stage. “Amazing! On Wednesday, I couldn’t believe we could be on this pace because I was quite sick. In the end, we did a good job on super tricky conditions on tarmac,” Teemu Suninen beamed at the finish line.
This result caps a season characterised by consistency and competitiveness on a surface not traditionally favoured by Finnish rally drivers: tarmac. Teemu Suninen and Antti Haapala secured their maiden ERC victory on the asphalt stages of Rally Poland, going on to achieve three further second-place finishes on the “black stuff” at Rally di Roma Capitale, Barum Czech Rally Zlín and finally Rali Ceredigion. Teemu Suninen and Antti Haapala are the first FIA European Rally Champions from Finland since Škoda crew Esapekka Lappi/Janne Ferm achieved this success back in 2014.
The Rally Six Cities North of Portugal brings the 2026 FIA European Rally Championship to a close from 23rd to 25th October.
Number of the rally: 29
Second position overall and the Power Stage win earned Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 crew Teemu Suninen/Antti Haapala 29 points – enough to win the FIA European Rally Championship with one round still to go.
* Subject to confirmation of the results by the FIA
Result Rali Ceredigion (GBR), 4-6 September 2026,
6th round of the FIA European Rally Championship
1 Kris Meeke/Noel O’Sullivan Junior, (GBR/IRL), Toyota GR Yaris Rally2, 1:29:45.3 hours
2 Teemu Suninen/Antti Haapala (FIN/FIN), Škoda Fabia RS Rally2, +38.6 seconds
3 Mikołaj Marczyk/Szymon Gospodarczyk (POL/POL), Škoda Fabia RS Rally2, +1:03.4 minutes
4 Max McRae/Cameron Fair (GBR/GBR), Škoda Fabia RS Rally2, +1:43.8 minutes
5 Meirion Evans/Dale Furniss (GBR/GBR), Toyota GR Yaris Rally2, +1:51.2 minutes
6 Andrea Mabellini/Virginia Lenzi (ITA/ITA), Lancia Ypsilon Rally2 HF Integrale, +2:20.1 minutes
Standings ERC/Drivers (after 6 of 7 events)
1 Teemu Suninen (FIN), Škoda, 137 points
2 Andrea Mabellini (ITA), Lancia, 98 points
3 Mikołaj Marczyk (POL), Škoda, 92 points
4 Jakub Matulka (POL), Škoda, 53 points
5 Simone Tempestini (ROU), Škoda, 52 points
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