Solberg tops WRC2 entry for Tet Rally Latvia thriller

By his own admission, the Swede struggled to match the speed of category winner Sami Pajari last time out at ORLEN 80th Rally Poland, but Solberg feels the different conditions on the roads west of Riga and around Liepāja this week should suit him more.

“Poland was tough, but we made second in the end,” Solberg said. “This time I really want to win. We have a pretty good record on these fast rallies and my win [among Rally2 cars] and sixth overall in [Secto Rally] Finland last year is definitely one of the highlights of my career so far. Another one of those would suit Elliott [Edmondson, co-driver] and me very well!

“I’m hoping we can settle in and find a good feeling straight away. The roads should give more support, I don’t think they will be so soft or rutted on the second pass. And, for sure, I think they will be as fast as the last round.”

Solberg’s sole WRC2 win so far this season came on his home event in Umeå, one of the fastest loose surface events of the year. He sits third in the championship, 10 points back from leader Yohan Rossel – who is not competing in Latvia – and just seven adrift of Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 man Pajari.

As well as Solberg, Toksport will also run Fabia RS Rally2 cars for Gus Greensmith and Josh McErlean in Latvia. Both drivers suffered frustrating outings in Poland, with Greensmith nursing an engine issue and McErlean crashing out.

Many eyes will be WRC newcomer Brandon Semenuk, who makes his debut on the global stage in a Toyota co-driven by Britain’s Keaton Williams. Semenuk is a works driver for Subaru Motorsports USA and has found success on both two wheels and four. In addition to his rallying achievements, the 33-year-old is a three-time Freeride Mountain Bike World Tour gold medallist and a five-time Red Bull Joyride winner.

Other stars to watch include Finland’s Mikko Heikkilä in a Yaris and 2022 WRC2 champion Emil Lindholm, who fields a Hyundai i20 N Rally2.