Oliver Solberg and Gus Greensmith, teammates at Toksport WRT, are aiming for their second win in the category this season in the Škoda Fabia RS Rally2. Currently, they are tied for the championship lead. Joining them is Pierre-Louis Loubet, a young French driver, who will start his season in the Škoda Fabia RS Rally2, also for Toksport WRT.
A total of 40 teams will compete for points in the Rally de Portugal, with Škoda being the dominant brand with 19 entries. Solberg and his co-driver, Elliott Edmondson, are determined to secure another victory after success in Sweden and a second-place finish at the Safari Rally Kenya. A win in Portugal would give Solberg an advantage over Yohan Rossel in the overall WRC2 championship.
Solberg reflects on his previous experience at the Rally de Portugal, where he narrowly missed out on victory in WRC2 last year, finishing just 1.2 seconds behind Greensmith. He jokes that at least the win stayed within the team.
Greensmith, on the other hand, is focused on improving his position in the championship. Of the four WRC events this season, he has only scored points at the Safari Rally Kenya, which he won. He emphasizes the importance of finding the right racing line on the challenging gravel stages and avoiding punctures.
Joining Solberg and Greensmith is their new teammate, Loubet, who is making his first appearance in the WRC this season. Loubet is familiar with the Škoda brand, having won the WRC2 championship in 2019 with a Škoda Fabia. He expresses his excitement to compete with the Škoda Fabia RS Rally2, which has proven to be the most successful car in its category. His new co-driver for this event is Loris Pascaud.