“Never Stop Fighting and Believe in Yourselves,” Says New Champion Robert Virves

The club of world champions who have won titles in Škoda rally cars has welcomed another name. Meet Robert Virves, who has won both the WRC2 and WRC2 Challenger titles*. He secured the victory of a lifetime at an especially fitting moment, in the very year that Škoda Motorsport celebrates 125 years.

29. 10. 2026 Lifestyle

He first got behind the wheel of a rally car at the age of three, and for as long as he can remember, he’s had only one goal in life—to become a professional rally driver. Estonian Robert Virves really made a name for himself in 2022, when he won 17 special stages at his home event, Rally Estonia, setting a new record in the Junior WRC3 category. Following his triumph at the Rally of Greece, he went on to win the world championship title in that category.

Despite such a successful start, the road ahead was far from easy. He spent a long time looking for sponsors and needed to achieve good results. "At one point, I was not far from saying goodbye to rallying for good," admits the Estonian driver. The turning point came at the beginning of 2025, when he began working with the Toksport WRT team, which fields proven Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 cars.

Rally Chile

"I had competed in a Škoda before. In 2022, I finished second in a home event on the Estonian island of Saaremaa," he recalls, looking back on his debut with the winged arrow. Nevertheless, during the 2025 season, he first had to get to grips with the new car and gradually gain experience as well as valuable points. He secured his first victory in the WRC2 category of the FIA World Rally Championship in July, on home soil at Rally Estonia, and at that point finished the season in 5th place overall.

How Points Are Scored in WRC2

The World Championship calendar typically includes 13 to 14 events per year. Before the start of the season, each competitor selects seven events at which they will compete for points towards the WRC2 standings, although they may also participate in other events. Under the usual rules, the six best results count towards the final standings, with the lowest scoring result towdropped. This year, however, brought an unexpected change. Following the cancellation of the final Rally Saudi Arabia, only the five best results from the selected events were counted towards the final standings. Titles in WRC2 are contested in three categories: drivers, co-drivers, and teams.

Rally Italia Sardegna

Acropolis Rally Greece

His winning streak wasn´t brought to an end until the rally in Paraguay in August, where he crashed on the very first special stage. Although he rejoined the rally, he was unable to make up for the time he had lost and finished outside the points-scoring positions. "Those were difficult times. The main thing, though, was to stay motivated and keep fighting. Strangely enough, Paraguay ended up being my favourite rally of the season. The fans there made it clear to us that we were truly and warmly welcome," Virves comments.

He remained in South America for the next round in Chile, where he bounced back with an excellent second-place finish. At that point, only two rounds remained until the end of the season—Sardinia and Saudi Arabia. Theoretically, only Teemu Suninen could still threaten Virves’s title bid. However, due to the cancellation of the final round in Saudi Arabia, Suninen lost even his mathematical chance at the title, and Virves thus arrived in Sardinia as the confirmed champion*. On the Italian island, Virves initially struggled with punctures, but he made up the lost ground with a determined charge and ultimately finished second. His finish ahead of Suninen confirmed his title.”.

The new champion, Robert Virves

Celebration of First Place in Estonia

Rally Italia Sardegna

Robert Virves has thus joined the ranks of famous names such as Jan Kopecký, Kalle Rovanperä, Andreas Mikkelsen, and Emil Lindholm. All of them became world champions driving Škoda rally cars. The victory is all the sweeter because it came exactly in the year that Škoda Motorsport is celebrating its 125th anniversary. “It’s great that we can celebrate this anniversary by winning the title,” concludes Virves, sending a clear message to young hopefuls: “Don’t stop fighting, and believe in yourselves.”

*Results are subject to confirmation by the FIA.