The removal of Rally Saudi Arabia from the 2026 World Rally Championship schedule has confirmed Robert Virves as the WRC2 champion for 2026.
The Estonian Toksport Škoda driver has won four consecutive events this season, and collected more points at last week’s Rally Chile by finishing second.
With WRC2 competitors counting their best six scores from a possible seven events, Teemu Suninen was the only driver capable of denying Virves the title when Chile concluded.
He had entered Rally Italy Sardinia, hoping to inflict some damage on Virves and try and win the title.
However the loss of a 14th and final WRC event in 2026 means Suninen can no longer recover the 41-point deficit he currently has to Virves, meaning Virves and co-driver Jakko Viilo are WRC2 champions.
On the Thursday before Rally Chile, DirtFish asked Virves how it would feel to win the title at home rather than on the stages, as Rally Saudi Arabia’s participation was still uncertain.
“I agree [it would be strange], but the rules are not made by me, obviously,” Virves told DirtFish. “So you just have to play by the rules, and sometimes it can be like this.
“One year, I think, Oliver [Solberg] was watching some rally with helmet on on his sofa to see how his championship will be like.”
Virves’ title is the first for Škoda since Andreas Mikkelsen won the title in 2023, and the first for any Estonian driver.
He will compete in Sardinia, having already also claimed the WRC2 Challenger title in Chile.
