› Andreas Mikkelsen and co-driver Jørn Listerud (Škoda Fabia RS Rally2) finish the sixth round of the FIA World Rally Championship third in WRC2.
› A late off-road excursion ends three-day long fight for victory in the WRC2 classification for Spanish Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 crew Jan Solans/Rodrigo Sanjuán.
› Robert Virves and co-driver Jakko Viilo (Škoda Fabia RS Rally2) win one stage overall.
› Armindo Araújo and co-driver Luís Ramalho (Škoda Fabia RS Rally2) finish as best-placed competitor from Portugal.
Matosinhos (POR), 10 May 2026 – Rally de Portugal is usually characterised by soft gravel, deep ruts, the occasional rock on the racing line and bright sunshine. This time, however, the competitors faced an additional challenge: Monsoon-like rain turned some of the stages of the sixth round of the FIA World Rally Championship into mud baths. As expected, the difficult road conditions influenced the competition in WRC2. Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 crew Jan Solans/Rodrigo Sanjuán fought for WRC2 victory until the penultimate stage.
WRC2 winners of Rally de Portugal in the past, Jan Solans and co-driver Rodrigo Sanjuán took the category lead after the last of the three Thursday stages. “This is my first time with the Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 on gravel,“ Jan Solans said, who is competing for team PH.Ph this season. During the Friday leg, the WRC2 lead changed hands three times. However, when the cars returned to the Matosinhos service park, Jan Solans/Rodrigo Sanjuán were back in first place. A similar story unfolded on Saturday: The Spanish duo and eventual winners Teemu Suninen/Janni Hussi took turns at top of the WRC2 standings. At the end of the Saturday leg, after more than 250 competitive kilometres, the Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 crew trailed their Finnish opponents by 0.9 seconds only.
Just when everyone expected this duel to continue on Sunday's rain-soaked stages, Jan Solans and Rodrigo Sanjuán were caught out by the extremely difficult road conditions. During the penultimate stage, their Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 veered off into the bushes. “We went completely off the road, but luckily we found a way back onto the stage. It was crazy, but we had to try,” said Jan Solans. The incident cost them more than two minutes. They also had to complete the final stage with a puncture to the front right tyre. Nevertheless, the Spaniards still finished fourth in WRC2. “We can be very happy with how the weekend went. The car worked fantastically. Today just wasn't our day, but we can be proud of our performance,” Jan Solans summarised.
Following the mishap of their brand colleagues, Andreas Mikkelsen and co-driver Jørn Listerud inherited the final spot on the WRC2 podium. The Norwegians onboard the Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 of team Toksport WRT held contact to the WRC2 leaders throughout the first leg. However, a puncture on Saturday morning cost them 30 seconds. “A puncture without any mistake from our side,“ Andreas Mikkelsen shrugged, frustration evident on the face of the former WRC2 champion.
A master of challenging road conditions, Fabrizio Zaldivar from Paraguay brought the Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 of team RaceSeven home in fifth position in WRC2. “Fau” Zaldivar and Italian co-driver Marcelo Der Ohannesian never put a foot wrong, collecting ten championship points for their respective classifications. Two French Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 crews also made it into the top 10 of WRC2. Eurosol Racing Team Hungary’s Eric Camilli/Thibault De La Haye finished seventh of the category. Mattéo Chatillon/Maxence Cornuau of team ARL Sport followed one position behind their compatriots.
Roberto Daprà and co-driver Luca Guglielmetti were running as high as fifth in WRC2 but retired after stage 18. The Delta Rally Team mechanics repaired the Škoda Fabia RS Rally2, enabling the Italian pair to restart on Sunday. However, championship points were out of reach.
A similar fate befell Robert Virves and co-driver Jakko Viilo. The Estonians had to retire after ripping off a wheel of their Toksport WRT-run Škoda Fabia RS Rally2. After the restart, and partly due to the changeable weather, they achieved the extremely rare feat of completing one stage fastest overall, even quicker than all competitors with more powerful Rally1 cars. However, the time penalty for the restart meant they finished well down the order. Fortunately, neither had selected Rally de Portugal as one of their seven points-scoring events.
The honour of best-placed Portuguese team went to a Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 crew as well. Armindo Araújo and co-driver Luís Ramalho took the twelfth place in WRC2 for team The Racing Factory. Victory in the WRC Masters Cup classification went to Paulo Neto/Carlos Magalhães, another Portuguese duo competing with a Škoda Fabia RS Rally2.
After just one gravel event, the FIA World Rally Championship switches back to tarmac. Seventh round of the season is Rally Japan, running from 28th to 31st May.
Number of the rally: 7
The competition in WRC2 was so fierce, that the category lead changed an impressive seven times over the 23 stages. Jan Solans and co-driver Rodrigo Sanjuán (Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 of team PH.Ph) occupied the top spot for three stretches with a total of nine stages.
Rally de Portugal (POR), 7-10 May 2026,
6th round of the FIA World Rally Championship, Result WRC2
1 Teemu Suninen/Janni Hussi (FIN/FIN), Toyota GR Yaris Rally2, 4:04.15.5 hours
2 Roope Korhonen/Anssi Viinikka (FIN/FIN), Toyota GR Yaris Rally2, +45.6 seconds
3 Andreas Mikkelsen/Jørn Listerud (NOR/NOR), Škoda Fabia RS Rally2, +1.14.2 minutes
4 Jan Solans/Rodrigo Sanjuán (ESP/ESP), Škoda Fabia RS Rally2, +2.47.0 minutes
5 Fabrizio Zaldivar/Marcelo Der Ohannesian (PAR/ITA), Škoda Fabia RS Rally2, +5.04.7 minutes
6 Mille Johansson/Johan Grönvall (SWE/SWE), Ford Fiesta MkII Rally2, +5.17.8 minutes
7 Eric Camilli/Thibault De La Haye (FRA/FRA), Škoda Fabia RS Rally2, +6.13.8 minutes
8 Mattéo Chatillon/Maxence Cornuau (FRA/FRA), Škoda Fabia RS Rally2, +12.51.3 minutes
MediaBox
