› Mikko Heikkilä/Kristian Temonen win second event of FIA European Rally Championship (ERC) from Mārtiņš Sesks/Francis Renārs and Isak Reiersen/Stefan Gustavsson.
› Seven Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 crews finish inside the top 10.
› Three Škoda drivers on top of the overall standings: José Antonio Suárez from Spain and Mikko Heikkilä from Finland share the lead, Mārtiņš Sesks from Latvia holds third place.
Karlstad (SWE), 25 May 2026 – Three crews competing with Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 sprayed champagne on the podium of the Royal Rally of Scandinavia, second round of the FIA European Rally Championship. Mikko Heikkilä and co-driver Kristian Temonen from Finland took the victory for team TGS Worldwide for the very first time. Second place went to Team MRF Tyres’ Mārtiņš Sesks/Renārs Francis from Latvia. Swedish duo Isak Reiersen/Stefan Gustavsson of team JC Raceteknik secured the third position at their home event.
The second ERC round was predominantly run on extremely fast stages known from the Karlstad-based era of Rally Sweden until 2020. However, the May date meant that the competitors faced gravel instead of the snow and ice that were customary for the FIA World Rally Championship winter event in the area. But the speed didn’t change. Winners Mikko Heikkilä and Kristian Temonen powered their Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 through the forests of Värmland at an average speed of 122.4 kph.
It was a tough fight for the Finnish crew of team TGS Worldwide. They held only third position after the first leg. Mārtiņš Sesks and co-driver Renārs Francis of Team MRF Tyres were positioned fourth on Saturday evening. The Latvians survived a massive spin, when Mārtiņš Sesks managed to keep the Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 on the road. They were followed by local Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 crew Isak Reiersen and Stefan Gustavsson of team JC Raceteknik.
On Sunday morning, the battle of the Finns continued with Teemu Suninen defending second place ahead of Mikko Heikkilä. However, the flat-out stages took their toll: During SS12, Jaspar Vaher/Rait Jansen had to retire after an accident. As a result, Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 crew Teemu Suninen and co-driver Antti Haapala of team The Racing Factory – Motorsport Solutions moved into the top spot. But only for a short time. Three stages later in a fast left-hander, the Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 went off the road – the damage to the car was too severe to continue.
While new leaders Mikko Heikkilä and co-driver Kristian Temonen could afford to back off a little bit at that point, the fierce fight between Mārtiņš Sesks/Renārs Francis and Isak Reiersen/Stefan Gustavsson continued. They had repeatedly swapped positions throughout the whole of Saturday and Sunday morning. They went into the final power stage with a mere 4.2-second gap between them. However, Mārtiņš Sesks kept his cool and defended second place.
Four more Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 crews finished inside the top 10: Simone Tempestini/Francesca Maria Maior in fifth, Mikołaj Marczyk/Daniel Dymurski in seventh, Brandon Semenuk/Keaton Williams in ninth and Fabrizio Zaldívar/Marcelo Der Ohannesian in tenth position.
“I was trying to get this for a long time,“ Mikko Heikkilä commented on his first ERC victory. “Finally, my race engineer can see me happy. He told me to look happier, and I told him that I would be when I won.” Heikkilä now shares the lead in the overall standings with José Antonio Suárez. The Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 driver from Spain won the season-opening Andalusia Rally-Sierra Morena – Córdoba World Heritage Site. Mārtiņš Sesks holds third position in the drivers’ ranking.
Following the gravel event Royal Rally of Scandinavia, the FIA European Rally Championship returns to tarmac. The next round is the Rally di Roma Capitale in Italy, which takes place from 3rd to 5th July 2026.
Number of the rally: 12
Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 crews won twelve of the 16 stages. These victories went to Mikko Heikkilä/Kristian Temonen (4), Teemu Suninen/Antti Haapala (4) and Benjamin Korhola/Patric Öhman (1), all from Finland, as well as to Mārtiņš Sesks/ Renārs Francis (2) from Latvia and locals Isak Reiersen/Stefan Gustavsson (1).
Royal Rally of Scandinavia (SWE), 22-24 May 2026,
2nd round of the FIA European Rally Championship (ERC)
1 Mikko Heikkilä/Kristian Temonen (FIN/FIN), Škoda Fabia RS Rally2, 1:31.07.8 hours
2 Mārtiņš Sesks/ Renārs Francis (LVA/LVA), Škoda Fabia RS Rally2, +15.7 seconds
3 Isak Reiersen/Stefan Gustavsson (SWE/SWE), Škoda Fabia RS Rally2, +31.4 seconds
4 Calle Carlberg/Jørgen Eriksen, (SWE/NOR), Toyota GR Yaris Rally2, +1.18.6 minutes
5 Simone Tempestini/Francesca Maria Maior (ROM/ROM), Škoda Fabia RS Rally2, +1.55.1 minutes
6 Eyvind Brynildsen/Anders Fredriksson, (NOR/SWE), Toyota GR Yaris Rally2, +2.18.2 minutes
7 Mikołaj Marczyk/Daniel Dymurski (POL/POL), Škoda Fabia RS Rally2, +2.26.4 minutes
8 Joosep Ralf Nõgene/Aleks Lesk (EST/EST), Toyota GR Yaris Rally2, +2.32.1 minutes
9 Brandon Semenuk/Keaton Williams (CAN/GBR), Škoda Fabia RS Rally2, +2.33.2 minutes
10 Fabrizio Zaldívar/Marcelo Der Ohannesian (PAR/ITA), Škoda Fabia RS Rally2, +2.36.9 minutes
Standings Drivers (after 2 of 7 events)
1 José Antonio Suárez (ESP), Škoda, 30 points
2 Mikko Heikkilä (FIN), Škoda, 30 points
3 Mārtiņš Sesks (LVA), Škoda, 28 points
4 Ivan Ares (ESP), Toyota, 27 points
5 Teemu Suninen (FIN), Škoda, 23 points
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