› Robert Virves and co-driver Jakko Viilo (Škoda Fabia RS Rally2) take the WRC2 championship lead after the tenth round of the FIA World Rally Championship.
› The Toksport WRT crew from Estonia finishes the “Gravel Grand Prix of Finland” with an average speed of 121 kph.
› Finishing third in the category, TGS Worldwide duo Lauri Joona/Antti Linnaketo from Finland are the second Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 crew on the WRC2 podium.
Jyväskylä (FIN), 2 August 2026 – Robert Virves and co-driver Jakko Viilo continue their perfect winning streak. At Rally Finland, the Estonian Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 crew celebrated their fourth WRC2 victory in four point-scoring events. With the maximum of 100 points, they jump into the lead of the drivers’ and co-drivers’ standings respectively.
As with the previous Rally Estonia, the WRC2 category on the Finnish World Championship round also descended into a battle between Estonian and Finnish crews. Apparently, they were best adapted to the countless jumps and the extremely high speeds of the “Gravel Grand Prix” in the Jyväskylä area. Even when rain hit the stages on Friday afternoon, the drivers from Nordic countries were in a league of their own.
Representing Estonia among the fastest were the Škoda duos Robert Virves/Jakko Viilo from Team Toksport WRT and Patrick Enok/Silver Simm from Printsport Racing. They finished the first leg in first and fourth place respectively in the WRC2 standings. Lauri Joona and co-driver Antti Linnaketo, sharing the Škoda for TGS Worldwide, also remained in contention after ten special stages.
By lunchtime on Saturday, Robert Virves/Jakko Viilo and Teemu Suninen/Janni Hussi were the only realistic candidates left for the WRC2 victory. After the Finns received a 30-second time penalty, the lead of the Estonian Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 increased to around one minute. Later, Robert Virves/Jakko Viilo suffered a puncture, reducing the gap to just 26.9 seconds by the end of the leg. Lauri Joona/Antti Linnaketo followed in third position behind Teemu Suninen/Janni Hussi.
On Sunday, two runs over the 30.02 kilometres Himos-Jämsä stage once again required the utmost concentration. Robert Virves/Jakko Viilo opted for a tactical approach, not chasing stage wins. This strategy paid off: The Estonians brought their Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 with a lead of 16.1 seconds to the finish, securing their fourth WRC2 victory of the season. “A very strange feeling. Even if it ended this way, I have to take it,” said Robert Virves at the finish with reference to Teemu Suninen’s penalty. “It has been a very long weekend, with a lot of drama for everyone. We struggled a lot and the others had issues, but I am very happy to be here“, the 26-year-old added.
Lauri Joona and co-driver Antti Linnaketo experienced a more stressful Sunday. With the finish already in sight, the TGS Worldwide Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 came under severe pressure from Jaspar Vaher/Rait Jansen. However, the Finns kept their rhythm and defended third position with a margin of just 1.4 seconds.
Giovanni Trentin/Pietro Elia Ometto brought Delta Rally Team’s Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 home in seventh position in the WRC2 category. The Italians took the honours of being highest-placed competitors from outside the Nordic countries. Victory in the WRC Masters Cup classification, reserved for drivers aged 50 or over, went to a Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 crew from Turkey: Uğur Soylu/Mehmet Akif Yalçin won the category for the first time during the season.
The high-speed stages, which didn’t forgive even the smallest driver mistakes, lead to many retirements also in the WRC2 field. Former WRC2 champion Emil Lindholm and co-driver Gabriel Morales briefly led the category on Friday morning. But the Finnish-Brazilian crew had to park their Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 after a roll. Estonians Patrick Enok/Silver Simm (Printsport) and Finns Mikko Heikkilä/Kristian Temonen (TGS Worldwide) as well were fighting for top positions in the early stages. Both crews also crashed their Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 and had to retire.
After Rally Finland, Robert Virves leads the WRC2 drivers’ standings by 21 points from Roope Korhonen, whose Rally Finland also ended with a roll. However, the Estonian’s real threat in the fight for the title could well be Teemu Suninen. The Finn is third overall after his second place from Rally Finland. And while Roope Korhonen has only one event left to score points and mathematically is in a difficult situation, Teemu Suninen like Robert Virves has finished just four nominated rounds. His gap to the new leader stands at 24 points. Per regulation, WRC2 competitors can score at no more than seven events, only the six best results count.
Number of the rally: 5
The competition across the WRC2 field was especially fierce during the opening stages. Until the finish of the Friday leg, the lead in WRC2 changed five times. Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 crews Robert Virves/Jakko Viilo and Emil Lindholm/Gabriel Morales both were among the interim leaders. During Saturday and Sunday, Robert Virves/Jakko Viilo never lost the WRC2 lead again.
Result Rally Finland (FIN), 30 July – 2 August 2026,
10th round of the FIA World Rally Championship
1 Robert Virves/Jakko Viilo (EST/EST), Škoda Fabia RS Rally2, 2:36:44.9 hours
2 Teemu Suninen/Janni Hussi (FIN/FIN), Toyota GR Yaris Rally2, +16.1 seconds
3 Lauri Joona/Antti Linnaketo (FIN/FIN), Škoda Fabia RS Rally2, +54.3 seconds
4 Jaspar Vaher/Rait Jansen (EST/EST), Toyota GR Yaris Rally2, +55.7 seconds
5 Romet Jürgenson/Siim Oja (EST/EST), Ford Fiesta MkII Rally2, +1:05.7 minutes
6 Mille Johansson/Johan Grönvall (SWE/SWE), Ford Fiesta MkII Rally2, +1:42.0 minutes
7 Giovanni Trentin/Pietro Elia Ometto (ITA/ITA), Škoda Fabia RS Rally2, +2:29.1 minutes
8 Léo Rossel/Guillaume Mercoiret (FRA/FRA), Lancia Ypsilon Rally2 HF Integrale, +3:38.6 minutes
Standings WRC2/Drivers (after 10 of 14 events)
1 Robert Virves (EST), Škoda, 100 points (from 4 rallies)
2 Roope Korhonen (FIN), Toyota, 79 points (from 6 rallies)
3 Teemu Suninen (FIN), Toyota, 76 points (from 4 rallies)
Standings WRC2/Teams (after 10 of 14 events)
1 Toksport WRT, Škoda, 235 points
2 Lancia Corse HF, Lancia, 195 points
3 M-Sport Ford World Rally Team, Ford, 45 points
4 2C Junior Team, Lancia, 37 points
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