Recently crowned European Rally champion Teemu Suninen will fight Robert Virves for this year’s WRC2 title, entering next month’s Rally Sardinia.
Suninen has contested four WRC2 rounds so far in a Toyota GR Yaris Rally2, winning in Portugal and finishing second in Sweden, Estonia and Finland.
Virves, meanwhile, has won four events from five starts, and is currently competing at this week’s Rally Chile in his Toksport Škoda Fabia RS Rally2.
If he wins in Chile, he’ll amass a total of 125 points – which only Suninen can better, with a maximum total of 126.
Patrica Sáiz will make her WRC debut in a Rally1 Hyundai
The Finn’s odds are therefore long, but he will give it a go by competing directly against Virves in Sardinia. He’ll be co-driven by Antti Haapala whom he won the ERC title with, as Janni Hussi is now committed to Toyota junior Jaspar Vaher.
Elsewhere, Andreas Mikkelsen returns for his first start since Acropolis Rally Greece in June and Italian WRC3 champion Matteo Fontana makes his WRC2 debut in a Toyota.
Eleven Rally1 cars will compete with Mãrtiņš Sesks returning to M-Sport Ford’s lineup. As expected, two-time Sardinia winner Dani Sordo will drive the third Hyundai, but will be co-driven by Patricia Sáiz instead of Cándido Carrera for what will be Sáiz’s WRC debut.
