› At the FIA World Rally Championship’s only full-snow event, six of the top 10 positions in WRC2 went to Škoda Motorsport customer teams.
› Mikko Heikkilä and co-driver Kristian Temonen from Finland conquer a WRC2 podium position with TGS Worldwide’s Škoda Fabia RS Rally2.
› Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 crews celebrate victory and third place in WRC Masters Cup classification.
Umeå (SWE), 16 February 2025 – Škoda crews outnumbered the opposition in the WRC2 result of Rally Sweden, second round of the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC). A total of six Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 were listed inside the top 10 of the final WRC2 result. As third of the category, Mikko Heikkilä/Kristian Temonen from Finland climbed onto the WRC2 podium.
As expected, drivers from Nordic countries dominated the only full-snow event of the FIA World Rally Championship. The honours as highest placed non-Scandinavians went to Fabrizio Zaldivar from Paraguay and his Italian co-driver Marcelo Der Ohannesian. They drove a Toksport WRT-registered Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 to a remarkable sixth place in the WRC2 category.
Coming from Finland, Mikko Heikkilä/Kristian Temonen finished three positions higher. The TGS Worldwide crew sharing a Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 increased their pace during the event. “I’m struggling with the grip a lot, even though the car feels good to drive,“ Heikkilä summed up the Friday leg, which he finished fourth in WRC2. Changes to the Škoda Fabia RS Rally2’s setup during the evening service did the trick. The next day, Heikkilä/Temonen posted fastest WRC2 times on two of the leg’s seven stages and advanced to third. “The proper feeling is back,“ Heikkilä beamed at Saturday’s finish. „The car is so much better than yesterday, it's enjoyable, thanks to the guys in the service.“ The Finns defended third place all the way to the finish and took home 15 championship points.
Next up were fellow Finns Lauri Joona/Samu Vaaleri (Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 of team MS Munaretto) and Isak Reiersen/Stefan Gustavsson (Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 of team JC Raceteknik), who flew the Swedish flag. Behind Zaldivar/Der Ohannesian, former WRC2 champion Pontus Tidemand reached the finish in eight WRC2 position. The Swede won the title in 2017 at the wheel of a factory Škoda and left the world championship at the end of the 2020 season. For the comeback on P8 in WRC2, he shared a Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 of team JC Raceteknik with Norwegian co-driver Jørgen Eriksen.
Mexican-Spanish duo Alejandro Mauro/Adrián Pérez (Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 of VP Garage/Mapo Motorsport) completed the WRC2 top 10, taking the last championship point available in the category. Czech youngster Filip Kohn and British co-driver Ross Whittock (Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 of team Baumschlager Rallye & Racing) followed in 11th position.
Victory and third place in the WRC Masters Cup classification, which is reserved for drivers aged 50 years and over, went to Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 crews. Mapo Motorsport’s Alexander Villanueva and co-driver Alberto Chamorro from Spain won. Mexican Miguel Granados and Spanish navigator Marc Martí of team VP Garage also stepped onto the podium.
Not competing for WRC2 points, Estonians Robert Virves/Jakko Viilo were highest placed Škoda crew for most of the rally. The RaceSeven duo went into the final leg holding third position in RC2 class. But in the penultimate special stage they lost 17 minutes stuck in a snow bank and eventually finished 15th in RC2.
After the tricky alpine roads of Rallye Monte-Carlo and the snow-covered forest tracks of Rally Sweden, the WRC2 teams now head for the first gravel event of the season. Safari Rally Kenya (20-23 March 2025) is the only African round of the FIA World Rally Championship.
Number of the rally: 6 out of 11
Eleven Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 crews started Rally Sweden listed as WRC2 competitors, six of them finished inside the top 10 of the category. The WRC2 final result featured a total of 19 crews.
Rally Sweden (SWE), 13-16 February 2025, Result WRC2
1 Oliver Solberg/Elliott Edmondson (SWE/GBR), Toyota GR Yaris Rally2, 2:42:02.3 hours
2 Roope Korhonen/Anssi Viinikka (FIN/FIN), Toyota GR Yaris Rally2, +42.5 seconds
3 Mikko Heikkilä/Kristian Temonen (FIN/FIN), Škoda Fabia RS Rally2, +1.08.3 minutes
4 Lauri Joona/Samu Vaaleri (FIN/FIN), Škoda Fabia RS Rally2, +1:43.9 minutes
5 Isak Reiersen/Stefan Gustavsson (SWE/SWE), Škoda Fabia RS Rally2, +3:03.4 minutes
6 Fabrizio Zaldivar/Marcelo Der Ohannesian (PAR/ITA), Škoda Fabia RS Rally2, +3:35.3 minutes
Standings WRC2/Drivers (after 2 of 14 rallies)
1 Yohan Rossel (FRA), Citroën, 25 points
2 Oliver Solberg (SWE), Toyota, 25 points
3 Eric Camilli (FRA), Hyundai, 17 points
4 Roope Korhonen (FIN), Toyota, 17 points
5 Léo Rossel (FRA), Citroën, 15 points
6 Mikko Heikkilä (FIN), Škoda, 15 points
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