A Masterful End to the Season

Champions Finished the Season on the Podium

Robert Virves and Jakko Viilo took second place in the WRC2 category at the final round of the World Rally Championship in Sardinia.

The Estonian crew from the Toksport WRT team had already secured the WRC2 World Championship title before the Italian Rally in Sardinia in October. Robert Virves and Jakko Viilo were therefore able to decorate their Fabia RS Rally2 with a special championship livery and enjoy the drive. However, they certainly did not hold back: they confirmed their speed, and in the end, only 0.7 seconds separated them from victory.

Škoda Motorsport gave me a car that was extremely fast and reliable. I would like to thank my co-driver Jakko in particular, and the whole Toksport WRT team. Without their support, winning the title wouldn't have been possible.

Robert Virves

WRC2 and WRC2 Challenger World Champion

The gravel track on the Mediterranean island was, as always, very demanding, and many crews had to deal with punctures. The same happened to the Estonian pair, who fell behind after two punctures in the fourth and fifth special stages and had to treat the rest of the rally as a chase. It paid off, and Virves and Viilo can now boast an excellent record for the 2026 season: out of seven WRC2 starts, they took four wins and two second places. Overall, they dominated the WRC2 category as well as its WRC2 Challenger subcategory for emerging drivers. Another title for the Fabia RS Rally2 was secured by Miguel Granados and Marc Martí, who defended last year's win in the WRC Masters Cup for drivers aged 50 and over.

Rally in Portugal

The European Championship culminated in the final event in northern Portugal, held from 23 to 25 October. European champions Teemu Suninen and Antti Haapala with their Fabia RS Rally2 were not at the start, having already secured the title at the penultimate round of the European Championship at Rali Ceredigion.

The final rally brought victory to the crew of Mārtiņš Sesks and Renārs Francis in their Fabia RS Rally2. The Latvians managed a dramatic battle with the Finnish crew of Roope Korhonen and Anssi Viinikka and returned to the lead towards the end. The success of the Škoda cars was further underlined by Mikołaj Marczyk, whose eighth place confirmed overall second place in the European Championship.

* All championship titles are subject to confirmation by the FIA.

What Can Be Experienced Behind the Scenes of a Rally

Enthusiastic fans have been accompanying Škoda Motorsport at competitions for 125 years, sharing in all the joys and disappointments with the crews. They could therefore not be missing from the anniversary celebrations, and Škoda Motorsport invited them behind the scenes at selected rally events.

"Fan support is always important. It's they who create the atmosphere around the special stages and service parks. It's something incredible. We owe them a big thank you, and we're glad to have them," says Dominik Stříteský from the Auto Podbabská Škoda Team.

For example, at the Rally Bohemia in Mladá Boleslav, guests got access to normally restricted areas and met drivers as well as team representatives. And of course, they got a close-up look at the Fabia RS Rally2. "When someone from the audience can experience the atmosphere right here within the teams and learn more detailed information, it's amazing," said fan Pavel, not hiding his enthusiasm.

People also got behind the scenes at the World Championship events in Estonia and Portugal. There they met, for instance, Robert Virves, who later became WRC2 World Champion, and former champion of the same category, Emil Lindholm. Visitors also got a look inside the special Škoda Motorsport service lorry and chatted with the carmaker's competition department head, Michal Hrabánek. "Their questions pleasantly surprised me; these are fans who truly live and breathe rally," he said, praising their enthusiasm.