Thierry Neuville Tops Central European Rally Shakedown

The Shakedown stage for the Central European Rally has come to an end. Thierry Neuville set the fastest time on the stage.

Shakedown WRC1

Thierry Neuville topped the shakedown stage for the WRC1 class. Neuville would set a time 1.4 seconds faster than Kalle Rovanperä. Rally Chile BioBio winner Ott Tänak finished third fastest on the shakedown stage, 0.1 seconds slower than Rovanperä. Elfyn Evans posted the fourth fastest time on the stage, 0.7 seconds slower than Tänak. Esapekka Lappi rounded out the top five on the shakedown stage, 0.6 seconds slower than Evans. 

Shakedown WRC2 

Yohan Rossel topped the shakedown stage in the WRC2 class. Rossel would post a time 0.8 seconds faster than Adrien Fourmuax. Gus Greensmith finished with the third fastest time on the shakedown stage, 0.4 seconds slower than Fourmaux. WRC2 Championship leader Andreas Mikkelsen set the fourth fastest time on the shakedown stage, 0.8 seconds slower than Greensmith. Nikolay Gryazin rounded out the top five in WRC2 on the stage, 0.2 seconds slower than Mikkelsen. 

Stage Interrupted

The shakedown stage was brought to a stop. It was stopped due to emergency traffic needing to get through to a non-rally related emergency. Luckily this didn’t interfere with anyone’s run on the stage or prevent drivers from running the stage. 

What To Expect From Day One Of The Central European Rally 

Tomorrow (October 26th) marks the start of the first-ever Central European Rally. The event will kick off with two SuperSpecial stages. The first SuperSpecial is 2.55 km long and the second is 8.92km long. Not much will be decided tomorrow. As normally gaps on a SuperSpecial stage are tenths of a second between the top runners. However, with a near 9km stage, it’s possible there will be a couple seconds between the top drivers to end the day. Seconds that could help a driver win the event. 

The 2023 World Rally Championship season continues this weekend with the twelfth round, the Central European Rally.

Championship Rundown

Andreas Mikkelsen maintained the championship lead after Rally Chile BioBio despite not attending the event. There was a strong chance for Yohan Rossel or Gus Greensmith to take the class lead at the event. However, neither of them did. Both closed the gap between themselves and Mikkelsen however. As Rossel now sits just 4 points behind Mikkelsen and Greensmith sits 5 behind Rossel. The Central European Rally will be Rossel and Greensmith’s final event of the season. Meaning it’s their final chance to win the championship. Oliver Solberg moved back into the championship top five after taking home the win in Chile. However, Solberg has no more points-scoring rounds and will not be attending the event this weekend. Sami Pajari rounds out the championship top five, however, Pajari also doesn’t have any points-scoring rounds remaining. Pajari will be attending the event this weekend for experience. With Pajari not scoring points, it leaves the door open for Nikolay Gryazin to move into fifth this weekend. As just 21 points separate the two Toksport drivers. 

A Newish Experience 

This weekend will mark the first-ever Central European Rally. With the event taking place in the Czech Republic, Germany and Austria. Some drivers have past experience on German tarmac, however, nobody has experience on it in a current Rally2 car. Outside of Pre-event testing of course. Which is something all teams did before the event. As this is the first time tarmac has been seen in the WRC since April for the Croatia Rally. A new rally means it’s hard to know what to expect from every driver. This means the ones who are willing to take the risks could be rewarded big time, or have their chances at a win ended abruptly. 

Adrien Fourmaux seems like a lock to get a Rally1 drive again next season, but has he done enough to earn another chance?

Fourmaux’s 2023 Season

Adrien Fourmaux has had a decent season in WRC2 and a great one in the British Rally Championship. Fourmaux currently sits 6th in the WRC2 Championship. Having competed in all 7 point-scoring rounds he’s allowed, Fourmaux can only go lower. The French driver only claimed 1 podium this season, which was a 2nd at Secto Rally Finland. He was on pace to win the class at the Rally Italia Sardegna, however, an accident would stop that from happening. In the British Rally Championship Fourmaux won all 5 events he competed in to take home the championship. Becoming the first French driver to win the championship. Fourmaux will compete at the Central European Rally later this month to gain experience as he can no longer score WRC2 championship points. 

Has Fourmaux Earned A Chance?

On the surface, Fourmaux seems like he still has a bit to go to get another chance in a Rally1 car. He wasn’t really competitive in WRC2. Sure he was around 5th place consistently at every event, but nothing has really stood out to say he should be the first in line to get another chance. Guys like Andreas Mikkelsen and Oliver Solberg should likely get a chance before Fourmaux does. However, Fourmaux seems like a lock to drive for M-Sport next season. As the team needs drivers, Pierre-Louis Loubet will likely stay with the British team. However, from there, it’s all open. 

WRC2 Isn’t Rally1

Even if his WRC2 stats haven’t been something that screams he should get another chance, he will likely get a chance. Which isn’t a bad thing and nobody will hold it against Forumaux. As at the end of the day, nothing done in WRC2 really matters for Rally1. The gap between the cars is night and day, you could drive a perfect season in WRC2 and then go and not even finish top five in a Rally1 car the next season. The Rally1 cars are hybrid and have much more aerodynamics than the WRC2 cars. The only way Forumaux will become a good WRC driver is by driving a Rally1 car. WRC2 used to be a decent scale on whether or not a driver would do good in a top car. Now it really isn’t. Truthfully Fourmaux has the skill and ability to be a good top-level driver in the WRC. He just needs to get experience with the car and at the events. 

Rally Chile BioBio has come to an end. Oliver Solberg held on to take home his second win of the season. 

Day One, Solberg Vs. Pajari

The first day of Rally Chile BioBio was a battle between Oliver Solberg and Sami Pajari. Pajari would come out on top by day’s end, taking a 13.3-second lead over Solberg into the second day. For the rest of the class, it wasn’t the greatest day. Nikolay Gryazin ended the day third, 51.4 seconds behind Pajari. 

Day Two, Solberg Takes Control

The second day of Rally Chile BioBio wasn’t as good as the first day. Sami Pajari lost his lead to Oliver Solberg on the first stage of the day. This came after Pajari got caught in the dust of a Rally1 car. Pajari was quick to regain the lead, taking it back on the fourth stage of the day. However, Pajari’s lead was short-lived, as Solberg regained the lead just two stages later. Solberg entered the final day of the event with a 25.3-second lead over Gus Greensmtih. Pajari fell to third, 43.9 seconds behind Solberg. 

Day Three, Solberg Holds On

The third and final day went rather smoothly for Solberg. Despite attacks by both Greensmith and Pajari, Solberg maintained the lead. Solberg was able to finish the event with a 25.8-second lead over Greensmith. Sami Pajari maintained third. Local driver Jorge Martinez won the Powerstage, Solberg finished second and Greensmith third. 

Championship Rundown

Shockingly Andreas Mikkelsen remains in the WRC2 championship lead after Rally Chile BioBio. Mikkelsen now only leads the championship by 4 points, however. With Yohan Rossel remaining second in the championship. Gus Greensmith also remains in the same position of third, now sitting just 5 points behind Rossel. Both Rossel and Greensmith have one round left to compete. Rally winner Oliver Solberg moves up to fourth in the championship. Solberg now sits 8 points behind Greensmith. Solberg’s season is over, however. Sami Pajari dropped to fifth in the championship, now sitting 5 points behind Solberg. Pajari’s season is also over. 

Disappointing Event For Rossel, Greensmtih

Yohan Rossel and Gus Greensmith went into Rally Chile BioBio with a chance to take the championship lead. However, neither of them would move into the championship lead. As both drivers had a rough event. Greensmith managed to finish second overall, 25.8 seconds behind Solberg. Despite having a rough first day. Rossel also had a rough first day of the event. Ending the first day 7th in class. However, Rossel pushed back to finish the event 4th, 33.3 seconds behind Pajari. For the two drivers, it’s a disappointing event as their championship hopes are likely over. 

The fourth and final day of Rally Chile BioBio has come to an end. Oliver Solberg held on to take the WRC2 class win. 

SS13, Las Pataguas 1

Gus Greensmith opened up the final day of Rally Chile BioBio with a stage win. With Greensmith setting a time 2.5 seconds faster than Emil Lindholm to win the stage. Yohan Rossel finished third fastest on the stage, 0.3 seconds slower than Lindholm. Oliver Solberg posted the fourth fastest time on the stage, 0.4 seconds slower than Rossel. Sami Pajari rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 1.4 seconds slower than Solberg.

SS14, El Poñen 1

Class leader Oliver Solberg took the stage win on SS14. Posting a time 0.3 seconds faster than Sami Pajari to win the stage. Gus Greensmith finished third fastest on the stage, 0.7 seconds slower than Pajari. Nikolay Gryazin set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 3.6 seconds slower than Greensmith. Yohan Rossel rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 3.4 seconds slower than Gryazin. 

SS15, Las Pataguas 2

Nikolay Gryazin took the stage win on the 15th stage of Rally Chile BioBio. Gryazin would set a time 4 seconds faster than Gus Greensmith to win the stage. Oliver Solberg finished third fastest on the stage, 0.3 seconds slower than Greensmith. Bruno Bulicia posted the fourth fastest time on the stage, 3.3 seconds slower than Solberg. Yohan Rossel rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 0.8 seconds slower than Bulicia. 

SS16, El Poñen 2, Powerstage

Jorge Martinez took his first stage win of the event on the final stage of Rally Chile BioBio. Martinez would set a time 1.3 seconds faster than Oliver Solberg to win the stage. Gus Greensmtih finished third fastest on the stage, 3 seconds slower than Solberg. Bruno Bulicia posted the fourth fastest time on the stage, 1.1 seconds slower than Greensmith. Nikolay Gryazin rounded out the top five on the stage, 2.5 seconds slower than Bulicia. 

The third day of Rally Chile BioBio has come to an end. Oliver Solberg took the lead in the WRC2 class from Sami Pajari on the day.

SS7, Chivilingo 1

Oliver Solberg started the third day with a stage win. With Solberg posting a time 6.7 seconds faster than Yohan Rossel to win the stage. Jorge Martinez finished third fastest on the stage, 4.6 seconds slower than Rossel. Gus Greensmith set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 2.8 seconds slower than Martinez. Emil Lindholm rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 1.1 seconds slower than Greensmith. 

SS8, Rio Lia 1

Yohan Rossel took home the stage win on the eighth stage of Rally Chile BioBio. Rossel would set a time 2.1 seconds faster than Gus Greensmith to take the stage win. Emil Lindholm finished third fastest on the stage, 6.2 seconds slower than Greensmith. Nikolay Gryazin posted the fourth fastest time on the stage, 2 seconds slower than Lindholm. Oliver Solberg rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 0.2 seconds slower than Gryazin.

SS9, Maria De Las Cruces 1

Nikolay Gryazin won the final stage of the morning loop. Posting a time 0.8 seconds faster than Yohan Rossel to take home the stage win. Gus Greensmith finished third fastest on the stage, 0.9 seconds slower than Rossel. Sami Pajari set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 4.6 seconds slower than Greensmith. Kajetan Kajetanowicz rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 1.8 seconds slower than Pajari. 

SS10, Chivilingo 2

Gus Greensmith took the stage win on the first stage of the afternoon loop of Rally Chile BioBio day three. Greensmtih would set a time 0.6 seconds faster than Sami Pajari to take the stage win. Yohan Rossel finished third fastest on the stage, 3.4 seconds slower than Pajari. Emil Lindholm posted the fourth fastest time on the stage, 0.2 seconds slower than Rossel. Nikolay Gryazin rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 2.5 seconds slower than Lindholm. 

SS11, Rio Lia 2

Yohan Rossel took his second stage win of the weekend on SS11. Posting a time 12.5 seconds faster than Gus Greensmith to win the stage. Kajetan Kajetanowicz finished third fastest on the stage, 0.1 seconds slower than Greensmith. Sami Pajari set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 0.4 seconds slower than Kajetanowicz. Oliver Solberg rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 3.2 seconds slower than Pajari. 

SS12, Maria De Las Cruces 2

Oliver Solberg ended day three of Rally Chile BioBio the same way he started it with a stage win. Solberg would set a time 17.2 seconds faster than Gus Greensmith to win the stage and take the class lead. Kajetan Kajetanowicz finished third fastest on the stage, 2.2 seconds slower than Greensmith. Yohan Rossel posted the fourth fastest time on the stage, 7.5 seconds slower than Kajetanowicz. Nikolay Gryazin rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 10.8 seconds slower than Rossel. 

Tire Issues

WRC1 drivers weren’t the only ones with tire issues on the third day of Rally Chile BioBio. As some WRC2 drivers also had issues. Namely the two front runners in Sami Pajari and Oliver Solberg. The tires weren’t as big of an issue for the WRC2 drivers as they don’t go through tires as fast as WRC1 drivers. However, they were still affected. It seems that the Pirelli’s aren’t built to take 77 km of hot gravel a loop. 

Solberg Wins Round Two

Oliver Solberg was in a battle with Sami Pajari for the WRC2 class lead coming into today. Solberg swiftly took the class lead on SS7. However he would lose it shortly after on SS10. Solberg was able to regain the lead on SS12 to take a 25.3-second lead over Gus Greensmith into day four. Sami Pajari sits 43.9 seconds behind Solberg. However, that doesn’t mean the battle is over. As Pajari will likely look to gain back time to take his second event win of the season. While Solberg will look to also take his second and complete his first points-scoring event since Portugal. 

The second day of Rally Chile BioBio has come to an end. Sami Pajari leads the WRC2 class of cars after the day’s stages. 

SS1, Pulperia 1

Oliver Solberg started the weekend with a stage win. Posting a time 0.1 seconds faster than Sami Pajari to win the stage. Nikolay Gryazin finished third fastest on the stage, 4.7 seconds slower than Pajari. Gus Greensmith set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 6.8 seconds slower than Gryazin. Jorge Martinez rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 2.6 seconds slower than Greensmith.

SS2, Rere 2

Sami Pajari took home the stage win on the second stage of Rally Chile BioBio. With Pajari setting a time 4.3 seconds faster than Gus Greensmith to win the stage. Oliver Solberg finished third fastest on the stage, 0.7 seconds slower than Greensmith. Nikolay Gryazin posted the fourth fastest time on the stage, 0.3 seconds slower than Solberg. Marco Bulicia rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 0.8 seconds slower than Gryazin. 

SS3, Rio Claro 1

Stage three would be won by Oliver Solberg. With Solberg posting a time 2.5 seconds faster than Sami Pajari to win the stage. Nikolay Gryazin finished third fastest on the stage, 5.6 seconds slower than Pajari. Gus Greensmith set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 3.9 seconds slower than Gryazin. Emil Lindholm rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 0.1 seconds slower than Greensmith. 

SS4, Pulperia 2

The fourth stage of Rally Chile BioBio was won by Sami Pajari. Pajari set a time 3.1 seconds faster than Nikolay Gryazin to win his second stage of the weekend. Oliver Solberg finished third fastest on the stage, 1.8 seconds slower than Gryazin. Emil Lindholm posted the fourth fastest time on the stage, 3 seconds slower than Solberg. Gus Greensmith rounded out the top five on the stage, finishing 2 seconds slower than Lindholm. 

SS5, Rere 2

Sami Pajari also took home the stage win on SS5. With Pajari Posting a time 1.1 seconds faster than Oliver Solberg to win the stage. Emil Lindholm finished third fastest on the stage, 2 seconds slower than Solberg. Kajetan Kajetanowicz set the fourth fastest time on the stage, 4.1 seconds slower than Lindholm. Gus Greensmith rounded out the top five on the stage, 2.5 seconds slower than Kajetanowicz.

SS6, Rio Claro 2

Sami Pajari also took home the stage win on the 6th stage of Rally Chile BioBio. With Pajari setting a time 4.9 seconds faster than Oliver Solberg to win the stage. Emil Lindholm once again finished third fastest on the stage, 3.1 seconds slower than Solberg. Kajetan Kajetanowicz posted the fourth fastest time on the stage, 1.8 seconds slower than Lindholm. Gus Greensmith once again rounded out the top five, finishing 1.8 seconds slower than Kajetanowicz. 

Caution: Barbed Wire

In rallying you encounter all different types of obstacles, animals, potholes, jumps, people, gates, etc. Normally barbed wire isn’t on the list, however Gus Greensmith got caught up in some barbed wire during day two. Greensmith would reveal he had barbed wire wrapped around one of his wheels during some of the afternoon stages. The barbed wire wouldn’t cause Greensmith to lose much time. That doesn’t take away from just how odd it is, however. 

Bulicia Out

Marco Bulicia would retire from day two of Rally Chile BioBio on the road section between SS5 and SS6. This would come as a result of Bulicia ripping his tire off and damaging his suspension on SS5. Bulicia sat 9th in the WRC2 class heading into SS5, 31 seconds behind Jorge Martinez. 

Pajari Vs. Solberg 

Day two of Rally Chile BioBio was a battle between Sami Pajari and Oliver Solberg. Pajari would lead the WRC2 class by 13.3 seconds over Solberg at the end of day two. However, the two drivers were head and shoulders ahead of the rest of the class. With Nikolay Gryazin sitting 38.1 seconds behind Solberg and 51.4 seconds behind Pajari at the day’s end. It sounds like the Pajari, Solberg battle will continue on day three of the event. 

Trouble For Rossel

Yohan Rossel has had an unfortunate start to Rally Chile BioBio. As Rossel sits 7th in the WRC2 class, just under 2 minutes behind Pajari. Rossel had a chance to take the WRC2 championship lead back this weekend. However, if things continue this way tomorrow there’ll be a slim chance of Rossel taking that championship lead back. It doesn’t help matters that Rossel was experiencing engine power issues on some of the afternoon stages. Nevertheless, Rossel will push on tomorrow and try to claw back time. 

Oh No Solberg 

Oliver Solberg may sit second in the WRC2 class after the second day. That didn’t mean the Swede was trouble-free throughout the day, however. As on the final stage, Solberg would break one of his suspension arms, with 20 km left to drive on the stage. Solberg was able to push on and set the second-fastest time on the stage despite the issue. Although the issue didn’t appear to be major either. 

The 2024 WRC season continues this weekend with the 11th round, Rally Chile BioBio, find out everything you need to know below. 

Drivers’ Championship Rundown

Andreas Mikkelsen leads the WRC2 Drivers’ championship heading into Rally Chile BioBio. However, Mikkelsen won’t be attending the event this weekend. This gives Yohan Rossel a prime chance to move back into first in the championship. As Rossel sits just 16 points behind Mikkelsen. Gus Greensmith also has a chance to move into the championship lead this weekend. As Greensmith sits 16 points behind Rossel and 28 behind Mikkelsen. Sami Pajari sits fourth in the championship, 9 points behind Greensmith heading into this weekend. British Rally Champion Adrien Fourmaux rounds out the top five in the championship. With Fourmaux sitting 4 points behind Pajari. However, Fourmaux will not be attending Rally Chile BioBio. 

A Battle For Fifth

With Adrien Fourmaux not attending Rally Chile BioBio, it creates a 4 horse race for fifth in the championship. As Oliver Solberg who will be attending his final event of the season this weekend sits 3 points behind Fourmaux. Kajetan Kajetanowicz sits 4 points behind Fourmaux. Emil Lindholm sits 5 points behind Fourmaux and Nikolay Gryazin sits 12 points behind Fourmaux heading into this weekend. Both Gryazin and Kajetanowicz will likely be focused on gaining as many points as possible this weekend. As a result of them both being in the championship hunt still. For Solberg and Lindholm it’ll probably be more about gaining experience and putting up a decent result. Nobody will likely focus on the battle for fifth as drivers have their sights set on different achievements this weekend. 

Teams Championship Rundown

Toksport WRT3 leads the WRC2 Teams Championship. With the team currently sitting 2 points ahead of M-Sport heading into Rally Chile BioBio. Toksport WRT3 and M-Sport have no drivers attending the event this weekend. This leaves the door open for Toksport WRT1 and 2 to close the gap in the championship or move up. Toksport WRT1 sits 31 points behind M-Sport. With Toksport WRT2 sitting just 5 points behind the first team. 

Oliver Solberg has confirmed Rally Chile BioBio will be his final round of the 2023 WRC2 season. 

What Changed?

Oliver Solberg did say at the beginning of the season he would compete in all European rounds of the championship. However seeing as Chile will be his final event of the season, that means he won’t be going to the Central European Rally, but why? There are multiple possibilities on why this is, but the most likely is budgeting. Solberg has been extremely lucky this season to be able to run every round so far. Even if he wasn’t scoring points. This is something WRC2 drivers rarely do, but Solberg wanted to gain valuable experience. Solberg was meant to skip Safari Rally Kenya, but his friend Daniel Chwist supplied him with a car. This probably took most of Solberg’s budget that was meant for the Central European Rally. Whatever the reason may be as to why this has changed, or if it has changed is unknown at this point.

Not His Final Event

Oliver Solberg’s WRC2 campaign may be over, but he will still compete in some rallies. Solberg has already confirmed he will be competing in the Roger Albert Clark Rally in the UK from 23rd to November 27th. Solberg will drive his family’s Ford Escort MK2. Joining Solberg will be former American Rally Champion Barry McKenna and former European Rally Champion Chris Ingram. Likely, Solberg will also compete in some other events before the year’s end, although nothing is confirmed. 

What If…

There is a small possibility Solberg could get the budget to run the Central European Rally, however, it doesn’t seem like Solberg is searching for the money to do this. It seems like Solberg is fine with his final event being Rally Chile BioBio. As Solberg likely feels he has nothing left to prove, he’s been the fastest driver in WRC2 this season and has probably earned a Rally1 drive next season.

What’s Next For Solberg?

Seeing as Rally silly season hasn’t started yet it’s hard to say. Solberg has probably earned a Rally1 drive, as previously mentioned, but it’s unknown if there’ll be an open spot. There’ll be an article on Speed Trap Magazine looking deeper into this topic sometime after Rally Chile BioBio has come to an end.

Toyota Gazoo Racing will be making their WRC2 debut next season, but who could drive for the team? 

Younger Drivers

Sami Pajari

This one’s a given, Sami Pajari has been linked to Toyota for the past year or longer. It’s not a secret that the Japanese team likes Pajari. I can’t blame them, he’s a talented driver who could be their next big start. Toyota has a great eye for picking out young stars. Unless something changes or another team gives Pajari a better deal, he will be with Toyota next season. Who will join Pajari on the team will be a bigger question. 

Jari Huttunen 

Jari Huttunen was one of the better young WRC drivers up until the end of last season. When he couldn’t get a drive in the WRC2 class and didn’t have the budget to compete at events besides Secto Rally Finland. It’s no secret Toyota likes their Fins, could Huttunen return to the WRC with the team? It’s possible, much like Pajari, Huttunen is a talented driver. He’s also driven a Rally1 car before. Huttunen would give Toyota an experienced driver to line up beside Pajari, whilst still being relatively young. Huttunen has 4 WRC2 rally victories so far in his career, finishing third in the championship in 2021. 

Mikko Heikklä

Mikko Heikklä, much like Huttunen is an extremely talented driver. Hekkila hasn’t had many chances in the WRC, however, he has raced in the ERC. Where he currently sits 10th in the championship, boasting only one top-five or higher result. However, that doesn’t mean Heikklä isn’t a good driver. As he won the Finnish Rally Championship last season, and had a decent finish at Secto Rally Finland. Finishing 5th overall despite facing issues throughout the event. Heikklä is a bit older, being 31, but much like Huttunen it would give Toyota somebody with a bit more experience on the team to complement Pajari. 

Erik Cais

Finally a non-Finnish driver. Erik Cais is one of the better younger talents in WRC2. Finishing 2nd in class at Rallye Monte-Carlo last season. This season his highest finish has been fourth at Rallye Monte-Carlo. Cais has the skill set to become a decent WRC driver, he just needs the experience and the right team around him. Toyota may be the team that can give him what he needs to improve. Being 24 years old Cais still has a bit of time to improve and develop to reach his maximum potential. Cais probably won’t top the list of drivers Toyota will look at, but he should definitely be considered.

Robert Virves

Virves is an incredibly talented driver, winning the Junior WRC championship last year, and steadily improving in WRC2 this year. Virves would give Toyota another young driver to go along with Pajari. Being just 23 years old, the Estonian has the chance to develop into the next WRC star from the country. Virves currently has a lot to prove in WRC2 but given it’s his first season in the class he will improve over time as does any driver. For Virves joining Toyota may be a good idea from a future point of view. It’s an opportunity to prove himself to an established team like Toyota and Toyota is a team that can help Virves develop into a better driver. 

Mārtinš Sesks

Mārtinš Sesks is probably one of the most improved drivers in the ERC this past season. As Sesks currently sits second in the championship, winning Rally Poland and Rally Latvia. Sesks has competed in the WRC before in the Junior class. Where he finished 2nd in 2020 and third in 2021. Sesks, much like Pajari is young, being only 24 years old and having loads of potential. Toyota could have their eyes on the Latvian driver to compete with them next season. 

More Experienced Drivers

Andreas Mikkelsen 

Andreas Mikkelsen’s future in WRC2 is up in arms currently. He was meant to return to Hyundai this season after Craig Breen’s passing, but that didn’t happen. There’s still a possibility that the Norwegian driver will step back up to WRC1 next season. Whether or not it’s with Hyundai is a different story. However, if Mikkelsen doesn’t get the opportunity to take the step back up, could he move from Toksport to Toyota? Mikkelsen has been Toksport’s number-one driver for a couple years now. However, it is possible Mikkelsen could move to a different WRC2 team. Toyota would make logical sense for Mikkelsen. As he would not only get to mentor Pajari, whom he’s already teammates with, but he would also be with a team that also runs a Rally1 program. This would make him one of the top choices if something were to happen with a Toyota driver mid-season. 

Kris Meeke

Kris Meeke has pretty much been out of the WRC since 2019. Only returning this season to honour his friend Craig Breen at Rally Portugal. Meeke has been involved in rumours surrounding a return for a couple seasons now. With Sköda and Hyundai being the main two rumoured to have interest in the 44-year-old. Could Meeke return to the WRC with Toyota in WRC2 next season? It’s possible. Meeke has been running a rally program in the Portuguese Rally Championship, taking over for Breen. Meeke also runs a full-time Nitrocross program, but there is a possibility as WRC2 wouldn’t take Meeke away from any other commitments. Plus he would get a chance to mentor a young driver in Pajari and give insight into the car, much like he did with the new Sköda Fabia R5. 

Kajetan Kajetanowicz 

Kajetan Kajetanowicz is an interesting one. As Kajetanowicz is a talented driver, just came into the WRC later than most. Although he did win a couple Polish Rally Championships before joining the ERC and then the WRC. The 44-year-old has a bit of WRC2 experience under his belt and could be valuable for Toyota. As Kajetanoiwcz consistently finishes top five or higher. Something that Toyota could use throughout the season. Especially if they want to try and win a WRC2 teams title. Kajetanowicz probably won’t top the teams list of experienced drivers. He will likely still get a decent look from the team, however. 

Who Could Drive For Toyota In 2024?