Estonian driver Robert Virves is gearing up for his first full season in the WRC2 championship with the Toksport WRT team. The promising young driver aims to develop his talent and make the most of his previous experience on World Rally Championship stages. “It’s a huge challenge, but I believe I can bring out the best in myself,” says the young pilot.
Robert Virves is one of the most outstanding rally talents of today, as he already proved in 2022 when he won the Junior WRC3 championship. However, for this season, he has secured a seat with Toksport WRT, behind the wheel of a Škoda Fabia RS Rally2. Starting with Rally Portugal, he intends to compete in a full program of seven events that count towards his championship points.
Robert Virves approaches this opportunity very seriously and responsibly, as he sees it as a great chance to grow. “This is a completely different situation for me. Up until now, my participation in Rally2 was decided rally by rally,” explains Virves. He believes that this full-season program will help him gain the necessary confidence and consistency he needs in the Fabia RS Rally2 and prove his speed once again.
Which rally are you most looking forward to in the 2025 season?
I’m excited about all of them. Having a full-season seat gives me a completely different perspective. I generally try to be fast on all surfaces because if you want to win, you just need to be quick everywhere. It’s hard for me to say which surface is my favourite. I was born on gravel, as we have a lot of it back home in Estonia, but surprisingly, I really enjoy asphalt. You can be very precise on it, and it gives you a completely different feeling of the car. But I enjoy everything, and I’m really looking forward to the 2025 season. I’m thrilled to compete at such a high level.
What about Rally Greece? You seem to be quite fast there…
I have good memories of Rally Greece—I won there in 2022, which helped me secure the Junior WRC3 title. Last season, driving the Fabia RS Rally2, I was one of the fastest in WRC2. But, in a long time, it was one of the few rallies where everything really clicked for me. At the beginning, I wasn’t that fast—I hadn’t had many kilometres in the car before the event, and I knew it would be tough. But I got into a good rhythm pretty quickly and showed strong pace. However, I’m not focusing on Greece specifically this year—I believe we can show good speed everywhere.
When did you first get behind the wheel of a Škoda special?
That was in 2022 in my home rally, shortly after I won Junior WRC3. I was driving a Fabia Rally2 and it was a great experience. I really enjoyed it, we were fighting for the win, but a puncture cost me the win, and I ended up second by just under ten seconds.
How does the Fabia RS Rally2 compare to that experience?
It’s a very user-friendly car that actually helped me get back into rallying and stay at the highest level. As I´ve already mentioned, I often had to arrange my rally participation event by event. Twice in the past, my fans even helped me through crowdfunding, and I’m really grateful for that. Last year, I got the chance to drive the Fabia RS Rally2 after being out of a race car for nine months. At first, I struggled and didn’t feel great about my pace, but the Fabia helped me adapt quickly. By my second event, I was already fast—I even feel like I’m faster than before.
You have now had the opportunity to test directly with Škoda Motorsport. What did you take away from it?
It helped me a lot. Testing on different surfaces, getting in the kilometres, and discussing details with the engineers has really pushed me forward. I noticed many differences, and I hope to use these experiences during actual rallies.
How did you get into rallying in the first place?
My dad and brother have always been rallying fans, and from a young age, I started going to events with them. I have a photo of myself sitting in a rally car when I was three years old. I first drove a car when I was six—it was on icy tracks. Later, my brother and I started racing a bit, and I was about fourteen at the time. In 2018, I entered my first rally. Then, in a rally sprint, I actually beat my brother, who is six years older than me. That’s when we realized I had talent and that I should probably give it a serious try. So, we went for it.
