› Lauri Joona and co-driver Antti Linnaketo of Škoda Motorsport customer team TGS Worldwide finish the second round of FIA World Rally Championship third in WRC2.
› Four Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 crews score WRC2 championship points.
› Škoda Motorsport mourns the loss of long-time team manager Pavel Hortek.
Umeå (SWE), 15 February 2026 – Three pairings from neighbouring Finland climbed onto the WRC2 podium after Rally Sweden. Third place went to Lauri Joona and co-driver Antti Linnaketo, who shared a Škoda Fabia RS Rally 2 of team TGS Worldwide. In fifth position, Isak Reiersen/Stefan Gustavsson of team JC Raceteknik took the honours of highest placed local crew in WRC2.
As expected, Umeå greeted the FIA World Rally Championship teams with thick snow on the stages, temperatures way below zero and glorious sunshine during the days. By the time, the ice flakes had settled over the traditional Thursday evening super special stage “Red Barn Arena”, two Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 crews from Finland were leading WRC2. Lauri Joona and co-driver Antti Linnaketo had the upper-hand over their TGS Worldwide team mates Mikko Heikkilä/Kristian Temonen.
Unfortunately, their dominance didn’t continue on Friday morning. Mikko Heikkilä and Kristian Temonen's hopes of a strong result were destroyed when they got stuck in a snowbank for roughly 17 minutes. Admitting in jest that he was driving “like his grandmother”, Lauri Joona couldn’t really keep up with the pace of the eventual winners Roope Korhonen/Anssi Viinikka or the runners-up Teemu Suninen/Janni Hussi. Nevertheless, finishing third equalled Lauri Joona’s best WRC2 result and his first category podium since 2024.
Strangely enough, Rally Sweden hasn’t been a happy hunting ground for local crews for a long time. The 2026 edition was no exception. Isak Reiersen and co-driver Stefan Gustavsson delivered a solid performance. This mistake-free approach saw the JC Raceteknik Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 climb from seventh position in the WRC2 standings after the first leg to fifth place at the finish.
The “never give up” attitude paid dividends for 19-year-old Giovanni Trentin and experienced co-driver Pietro Elia Ometto. The Italians put their Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 onto its roof during the first stage on Thursday evening. Luckily, the Delta Rally Team run car sustained only minor damage. After repairs, the reigning Italian Gravel Champions were back in action on Friday. They eventually climbed from 25th to eighth position in WRC2.
After leaving Rallye Monte-Carlo without any WRC2 points, Mattéo Chatillon and co-driver Maxence Cornuau ran as high as sixth in WRC2 during their Rally Sweden debut. However, a 15-minute delay on Sunday saw the French Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 crew drop to tenth position in the WRC2 standings.
From winter wonderland in northern Sweden with snow and ice under the tyres, the FIA World Rally Championship moves on to the heat and rough gravel stages of Eastern Africa. Safari Rally Kenya is next from 12th to 15th March.
Škoda Motorsport mourns the loss of Pavel Hortek
Long-time Škoda Motorsport Team Manager Pavel Hortek has passed away at the age of 76. The former co-driver joined Škoda Motorsport in 2001. He became the cornerstone of the Czech brand’s rallying program since then. In his roles as team manager and sports director, he played a key part in achieving some of the greatest successes in Škoda Motorsport's 125-year history. He oversaw the development of highly successful rally cars, with the Škoda Fabia Rally2 setting the benchmark in its class for the past decade.
Number of the rally: 119.6
Despite all the stages being completely covered in snow and ice, Rally Sweden traditionally is one of the fastest events on the FIA World Rally Championship calendar. This year, SS2 “Bygdsiljum” was the quickest of them all. TGS Worldwide’s Lauri Joona and co-driver Antti Linnaketo flew their Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 through the 27.55 kilometres long test at an average speed of 119.6 kph.
Rally Sweden (SWE), 12-15 February 2026,
2nd round of the FIA World Rally Championship, Result WRC2
1 Roope Korhonen/Anssi Viinikka (FIN/FIN), Toyota GR Yaris Rally2, 2:46:29.3 hours
2 Teemu Suninen/Janni Hussi (FIN/FIN), Toyota GR Yaris Rally2, +10.2 seconds
3 Lauri Joona/Antti Linnaketo (FIN/FIN), Škoda Fabia RS Rally2, +58.4 seconds
4 Taylor Gill/Daniel Brkic (AUS/AUS), Toyota GR Yaris Rally2, +2:34.2 minutes
5 Isak Reiersen/Stefan Gustavsson (SWE/SWE), Škoda Fabia RS Rally2, +2:56.9 minutes
6 Michał Sołowow/Maciej Baran (POL/POL), Toyota GR Yaris Rally2, +8:54.8 minutes
Standings WRC2/Drivers (after 2 of 14 events)
1 Roope Korhonen (FIN), Toyota, 25 points
2 Léo Rossel (FRA), Citroën, 25 points
3 Roberto Daprà (ITA), Škoda, 17 points
4 Teemu Suninen (FIN), Toyota, 17 points
5 Lauri Joona (FIN), Škoda, 15 points
6 Arthur Pelamourgues (FRA), Hyundai, 15 points
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