M-Sport has retained FIA Rally Star graduate and 2024 Junior WRC title winner Romet Jürgenson to spearhead its WRC2 effort in 2026, though only a part-program has been confirmed so far.
Jürgenson was M-Sport’s de facto works driver in WRC2 last season, competing in six rounds as part of an FIA-backed prize for winning the Junior title last year. He also represented M-Sport as a works driver in both the European and British championships, finishing second behind team-mate Jon Armstrong on Rali Ceredigion and winning the Carlisle Stages on the way to second in the BRC title race behind William Creighton.
He will debut a newly-upgraded Ford Fiesta Rally2 at the World Rally Championship season-opening Monte Carlo Rally, though won’t be nominated to score WRC2 points. Jürgenson’s first points-nominated outing will be Sweden in February, while he’ll also contest Safari Rally Kenya in March.
“It felt logical after the first season we did [to continue],” Jürgenson told DirtFish. “It was quite decent, obviously we didn’t have any really standout results, but I think we did a good consistent run, improved as well, had some stage wins. At the end of the day, that’s what you really want from your first WRC2 season.
“But I definitely had to work to make that happen, and also obviously the team is supporting me a lot, so that’s good.”
With the FIA Rally Star program coming to a close at the end of 2025, Jürgenson needed to find alternative funding to continue his WRC2 program with M-Sport into next season.
“To be in that position where I could actually discuss my future and come up with the solution with the team privately, is really showing that the program is successful,” he said.
“That’s what the aim of all the people who contributed to the program was, so it’s all up to me now to keep it going.”
No further events have been announced for Jürgenson at M-Sport, though DirtFish understands the team still intends to run him for a full WRC2 campaign; entering Monte without scoring points indicates he will have further points-nominated WRC2 events later in the season.
Jürgenson will already be at the wheel of a Fiesta Rally2 before the WRC season kicks off, contesting Jännerrallye – the opening round of the Austrian championship – in a Fiesta run by local preparation firm ZM Racing.
