Rally Estonia: Škoda driver Robert Virves goes for back-to-back victories on home WRC2 event

› With two WRC2 wins already achieved, Robert Virves and co-driver Jakko Viilo (Škoda Fabia RS Rally2) are aiming high on the ninth round of the FIA World Rally Championship
› Also sharing a Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 and chasing a top result are their Toksport WRT team mates, Emil Lindholm and Gabriel Morales
› Other Škoda crews hoping for a WRC2 podium include Jan Solans/Rodrigo Sanjuán, Lauri Joona/Antti Linnaketo, Mikko Heikkilä/Kristian Temonen, Mille Johansson/Johan Grönvall.

Mladá Boleslav, 15 July 2026 – Local heroes Robert Virves and co-driver Jakko Viilo will be among the favourites for the WRC2 victory on the fast gravel roads of Rally Estonia (16-19 July 2026). But the Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 crew will face strong opposition during the ninth round of the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) with 24 competitors entering WRC2, ten of whom will rely on a Škoda Fabia RS Rally2.

With more than half of the 2026 season complete, tactics are coming into play in the WRC2 category. Each driver and co-driver can nominate up to seven scoring events with only the six best results counting. Robert Virves and Jakko Viilo are currently sixth in the overall standings. However, the Estonians, who are competing in a Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 run by Toksport WRT, have only nominated two events so far: Safari Rally Kenya and Acropolis Rally Greece – and they won them both. With a 100 per cent victory rate, they are much better placed than the current standings suggest. Given all the drivers and co-drivers in the top five of the overall rankings have already banked at least four results, Robert Virves has every reason to be optimistic ahead of his home event. “After winning the WRC2 category on Rally Estonia last year, I can't wait to hit these fantastic gravel roads again with my Škoda Fabia RS Rally2,” said the 26-year-old.

Emil Lindholm from Finland, teammate to Robert Virves at Toksport WRT, finished third in WRC2 on Rally Estonia in both 2022 and 2023. This year, the 2022 WRC2 champion is aiming for a top result together with Brazilian co-driver Gabriel Morales. Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 crews Jan Solans/Rodrigo Sanjuán from Spain (PH.Ph), Lauri Joona/Antti Linnaketo from Finland (TGS Worldwide) and the 2025 Junior WRC champions, Mille Johansson/Johan Grönvall from Sweden (MS Munaretto), are also among the contenders for a WRC2 podium. Also competing with a Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 are the TGS Worldwide-run pairing of Mikko Heikkilä and co-driver Kristian Temonen, who won the recent FIA European Rally Championship-counting Royal Rally of Scandinavia on similar stages. The Finnish crew also proved their speed with a fourth-place finish in the WRC2 category on last year's Rally Estonia. Meanwhile, one of the biggest local hopes is 20-year-old Estonian Patrick Enok. He is supported by the experienced co-driver Silver Simm in a Printsport Škoda Fabia RS Rally2.

Delfi Rally Estonia, as the ninth round of the WRC is officially called, features 18 stages on mostly smooth gravel, covering a total distance of 301.80 kilometres. On Friday (17 July), the crews will face 103.42 kilometres over seven special stages. Saturday (18 July) is the longest day, with nine stages covering 149.60 competitive kilometres. After two runs over the 24.39-kilometre Kääriku stage on Sunday (19 July), the winners are expected on the podium at approximately 2:20 pm local time.

Did you know, that…

...Rally Estonia features wide, flat-out forest roads, which are sometimes mastered with an average speed exceeding 120 kph?

...Rally Estonia joined the FIA World Rally Championship calendar in 2020 in the midst of the global health pandemic?

...the event has been a regular fixture in the WRC calendar since then, with the exception of 2024 when it counted as a round of the FIA European Rally Championship?

...on all but one occasion, a Škoda crew has won the WRC2/WRC2 Open category?

Standings WRC2/Drivers (after 8 of 14 events)
1 Roope Korhonen (FIN), Toyota, 64 points (from 4 events)
2 Alejandro Cachón (ESP), Toyota, 61 points (from 5 events)
3 Léo Rossel (FRA), Lancia, 60 points (from 4 events)
4 Nikolay Gryazin (BUL), Lancia, 56 points (from 4 events)
5 Yohan Rossel (FRA), Lancia, 52 points (from 5 events)
6 Robert Virves (EST), Škoda, 50 points (from 2 events)

Standings WRC2/Teams (after 8 of 14 events)
1 Toksport WRT, Škoda, 168 points
2 Lancia Corse HF, Lancia, 163 Points
3 M-Sport Ford World Rally Team, Ford, 45 Points
4 2C Junior Team, Citroën, 15 points

2026 FIA World Rally Championship

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