› Sixth round of the FIA World Rally Championship features 345 kilometres of gravel stages for the Škoda crews and their competitors in the WRC2 category
› Jan Solans of Spain, Fabrizio Zaldívar from Paraguay and Norway’s Andreas Mikkelsen are among the gravel experts at the wheel of a Škoda Fabia RS Rally2
› Škoda drivers Roberto Daprà from Italy, Eric Camilli from France and local hero Armindo Araújo are also targeting strong points in the WRC2 classification
› 20 of the 36 crews entered into WRC2 compete with the Škoda Fabia
Mladá Boleslav, 6 May 2026 – Following two consecutive rounds on tarmac, the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) returns to gravel stages. Rally de Portugal (7–10 May 2026) is based in Matosinhos, near Porto. With no fewer than 36 crews entered, the WRC2 field is significantly stronger than in any of the previous five championship rounds. Among those aiming to score WRC2 points are 17 crews competing in a Škoda Fabia RS Rally2.
Rally de Portugal brings out the gravel specialists. The sixth round of the FIA World Rally Championship features 345.14 competitive kilometres, with only a few short tarmac sections and one street stage; the remainder is run on sandy and rocky roads. The 23 stages include two passes over the legendary “Fafe” stage, famous for its spectacular jump near the finish.
A WRC2 winner on Portuguese gravel in 2024, Jan Solans has switched to a Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 run by team PH.Ph. for the current season. Together with co-driver Rodrigo Sanjuán, he finished Rally Islas Canarias – Rally of Spain, his WRC debut with the car from Mladá Boleslav, in seventh position in WRC2. “I really enjoy driving the Škoda on asphalt,” says Jan Solans. “Now I am keen to discover its potential on gravel. The Fabia’s robustness gives me a lot of confidence to attack.”
Safari Rally Kenya, the only gravel event so far this season, ended with third place in WRC2 for Fabrizio Zaldívar and Marcelo Der Ohannesian of team RaceSeven and fourth position for Toksport WRT’s Andreas Mikkelsen and Jørn Listerud. Both crews are targeting another WRC2 top result in Portugal. “I cannot wait to drive the Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 on gravel again,” says Zaldívar. So far, his best WRC2 result in Portugal is a fourth place, achieved in 2024. Mikkelsen finished third in WRC2 at Rally de Portugal just one year earlier. The WRC2 champion of 2021 and 2023 currently sits only 15th in the overall standings and is keen to make up ground.
After the first five events of the 2026 season, the highest-placed Škoda driver and co-driver are Roberto Daprà and Luca Guglielmetti of Delta Rally Team. The Italians are lying third overall in their respective classifications. Last year, Roberto Daprà finished sixth in WRC2 at Rally de Portugal. A few weeks later, he secured victory in WRC2 at Rally Italia Sardegna, once again underlining his pace on gravel.
Meanwhile, Eric Camilli and co-driver Thibault De La Haye head to Matosinhos following their third-place finish in WRC2 at Rally Islas Canarias – Rally of Spain. The French crew competes in a Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 entered by Eurosol Racing Team Hungary. Local favourites Armindo Araújo and Luís Ramalho are aiming for more than just WRC2 points. With their Škoda Fabia RS Rally2, run by The Racing Factory, they are also strong contenders for victory in the Portuguese Championship classification.
In total, 20 Škoda crews are entered in WRC2 at Rally de Portugal. One of them is competing for team points only: Robert Virves and co-driver Jakko Viilo. The Estonian pairing, representing Toksport WRT, won WRC2 at Safari Rally Kenya but have opted not to nominate Rally de Portugal as one of their seven points-scoring events.
Rally de Portugal begins on Thursday (7 May 2026) in Coimbra. The opening day concludes with a short super special stage in the streets of Figueira da Foz. Seven stages will be contested on Friday, followed by nine on Saturday. The final leg on Sunday brings the total to 23 stages, covering 345.14 kilometres. The WRC2 winners will be celebrated on the podium immediately after the “Fafe Power Stage” on Sunday at approximately 1:35 local time.
Did you know, that…
...the first version of the Rally2 spec Škoda Fabia made its debut in the FIA World Rally Championship during the 2015 Rally de Portugal?
...Rally de Portugal back in 1973 was one of the founding members of the FIA World Rally Championship?
...after decades headquartered in Estoril close to Lisbon and eight years held in the Algarve region, the rally in 2015 moved to Matosinhos north of Porto?
Pořadí kategorie WRC2/Jezdci (po 5 ze 14 rally)
Standings WRC2/Drivers (after 5 of 14 events)
1 Yohan Rossel (FRA), Lancia, 52 points
2 Léo Rossel (FRA), Citroën, 52 points
3 Roberto Daprà (ITA), Škoda, 37 points
4 Roope Korhonen (FIN), Toyota, 35 points
5 Nikolay Gryazin (BUL), Lancia, 31 points
Standings WRC2/Teams (after 5 of 14 events)
1 Lancia Corse HF, Lancia, 126 Points
2 Toksport WRT, Škoda, 94 points
3 M-Sport Ford World Rally Team, Ford, 45 Points
2026 FIA World Rally Championship
| Rallye Monte-Carlo | 22–25 January |
| Rally Sweden | 12–15 February |
| Safari Rally Kenya | 12–15 March |
| Croatia Rally | 9–12 April |
| Rally Islas Canarias (ESP) | 23–26 April |
| Rally de Portugal | 07–10 May |
| Rally Japan | 28–31 May |
| Acropolis Rally Greece | 25–28 June |
| Rally Estonia | 16–19 July |
| Rally Finland | 30 July–2 August |
| Rally del Paraguay | 27–30 August |
| Rally Chile Bio Bío | 10–13 September |
| Rally Italia Sardegna | 1–4 October |
| Rally Saudi Arabia | 11–14 November |
