RALLY ROYALTY: OLIVER SOLBERG'S DEBUT VICTORY IN ESTONIA WAS ALSO TOYOTA’S 100TH WRC WIN.
In a result that reads like rally fan fiction, Oliver Solberg stormed to a breathtaking victory at Rally Estonia - his first-ever win in the top class of the FIA World Rally Championship and the 100th for TOYOTA GAZOO Racing in WRC history. Not bad for a comeback kid making his first Rally1 start in nearly two years. The 23-year-old Swede, son of 2003 WRC champ Petter Solberg, delivered a flawless weekend that lit up the gravel stages of Estonia and etched his name into the history books, becoming the third-youngest WRC winner ever and the 16th driver to win for Toyota since the marque’s debut victory back in 1973. Solberg’s call-up was part of TOYOTA GAZOO Racing’s ongoing mission to elevate rising talent. With dominant form in WRC2 aboard the GR Yaris Rally2 - where he currently leads the title chase - Solberg earned a one-off shot at Estonia in the fire-breathing GR YARIS Rally1 Hybrid. After just two days of testing in Finland, it was go-time. From the moment the clock started ticking on Stage 1, it was clear something special was brewing. Solberg and co-driver Elliott Edmondson came out swinging, snatching their first-ever stage win and the overall rally lead - and they didn’t look back. Three stage wins on Friday gave them a 12.4-second overnight buffer. But with road order evening out on Saturday, the real test began. Instead of backing off, Solberg dug deeper, clocking four more stage victories and extending his lead over local favourite Ott Tänak (Hyundai) to a commanding 21.1 seconds. By Sunday, the pressure was immense and the rain was falling, but Solberg kept his head, taking two more stage wins to bring his tally to nine across the weekend. A calculated third-fastest run through the Power Stage sealed the deal: a 25.2-second winning margin and one of the most memorable breakthrough victories in recent WRC memory. With that victory, Solberg joins his legendary father Petter on the exclusive list of WRC winners, continuing a family legacy and earning his place in rally folklore.
Solberg’s win marks a major milestone for Toyota: 100 victories in WRC, beginning with Walter Boyce’s win at the Press-on-Regardless Rally in the U.S. during the WRC’s inaugural 1973 season. Fast forward 51 years, and the GR Yaris Rally1 is carrying that winning DNA forward with force. Elsewhere in the TGR-WRT camp, reigning champ Kalle Rovanperä couldn’t match his dominant form from past Estonian events, but he did win the Power Stage and finished second in the Super Sunday classification, banking crucial points alongside P4 overall with co-driver Jonne Halttunen. Elfyn Evans once again had to deal with the disadvantage of road sweeping duties on Friday, but fought back hard to claim sixth overall, fourth on Sunday, and fifth in the Power Stage. That puts him just one point off the championship lead - the title race is officially on. Unfortunately, Takamoto Katsuta and Aaron Johnston had been running ahead of Evans before suffering a mechanical failure just before the final stage, forcing them to retire. In the TGR-WRT2 entry, Sami Pajari and Marko Salminen showed great resilience, bouncing back from an early mechanical issue to finish seventh overall and gain vital mileage on the ultra-fast roads.
Akio Toyoda (TGR-WRT Chairman) comments: “Oliver, Elliott, congratulations on your victory! It was three years ago in Belgium when I met Oliver in a Hyundai driving racesuit at the podium. When he got out of the i20, he spotted the legend, Juha Kankkunen. Determined to take a photo with the legend, he handed me his mobile phone and asked me to take the photo. I bent down and took a picture of him and Juha. Afterward, his father said “thank you” to me, but I think I only got a shy smile from him... There is still a video of that moment, which I will post on my official Instagram. I took today’s victory by Oliver as a ‘thank you’ for three years ago. If he wins next time while I’m on site, I will rush over to him, so I hope he will take a photo with me and if Juha is there, I will ask him to take the photo! I’ve heard from the team that Juha has been giving Oliver various pieces of advice as it was his first time to compete with the GR YARIS Rally1. I am very grateful to Juha. I believe they will take another nice photo together, this time with Oliver in a TOYOTA GAZOO Racing overalls. The next rally is our home rally. We will put on the best performance for the people of Jyväskylä who always support us. I’m counting on everyone in the team!”
Oliver Solberg (Driver car 99): “It’s been the most amazing weekend. I’m feeling so overwhelmingly happy, after so many years of dreaming and working for this moment. I want to say a big thank you to Toyota for giving me this opportunity and the chance to prove myself and have fun driving this amazing car. Thank you to the test team who helped me get so comfortable. I also never thought I’d get to celebrate on a podium with Juha, who has been a hero of mine since I was a kid and one I’ve been looking up to together with my father. Now this weekend he has been supporting me so well, keeping me calm and telling me what to do. I’ve never had such a good time in my life, so thank you.”
Take a look at the YouTube video that shows off some highlights of the young Solberg's historic WRC win in an amazing debut for the TRG team: WRC 2025 Rd.8 RALLY ESTONIA | TOYOTA GAZOO Racing | TOYOTA GAZOO Racing
Be sure to check out our YouTube channel here for more exciting and exclusive SXdrv content! And don't forget to smash that subscribe button!