Oliver Solberg will make a return to the World Rally Championship top tier at Rally Estonia this month after being handed a drive by Toyota.
The current WRC2 points leader had been set to contest the fast gravel rally (17-20 July) piloting his Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 in the WRC2 class, but will now swap his car for a maiden competitive outing in Toyota’s Rally1 car.
Solberg will join Toyota full-time drivers Elfyn Evans, Kalle Rovanpera, Takamoto Katsuta and Sami Pajari, after Sebastien Ogier confirmed he won’t return to the WRC until Rally Finland in August.
“The moment we have all been waiting for is finally here. Me and [co-driver] Elliott [Edmondson] will be back in a Rally1 car with Toyota Gazoo Racing. I just want to say a big thanks to the team for the trust to jump back in the rally car and it has been a moment and a dream come true and we have been waiting for this for a long time,” said Solberg.
The outing will be Solberg’s first appearance driving Rally1 machinery at a WRC rally since Rally New Zealand in October 2022. That year the son of 2003 world rally champion Petter Solberg contested eight WRC rounds piloting Hyundai’s third factory Rally1 entry, which he shared with Dani Sordo. Solberg claimed four points finishes, including a career-best fourth at Ypres Rally Belgium.
Solberg had since been competing in the WRC’s second tier, WRC2, finishing sixth in the standings in 2023, before finishing runner-up last year. This season the 23-year-old has enjoyed a stunning start to the year claiming wins in Sweden, Portugal and Greece to lead the standings. Last weekend’s run to WRC2 victory in Greece saw Solberg produce an impressive drive to finish the rally sixth overall.
“After a super strong season so far I think we are more than ready and confident. We have built a great relationship with the team and now I just want to start the rally and give it a good go and let’s see what we can do,” he added.
In preparation for the event, Solberg and co-driver Edmondson will test the Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 for the first time next week.
“The test will be a really important time to learn how the car is working. Even though they are both GR Yaris, the Rally1 is really different to the car I am driving. One of the big things will be the aerodynamics – the car looks so well balanced with the aero – but this will take some time to get up to speed with,” said Solberg.
“The aim for me from the test is to feel comfortable with the car and to have as wide a window of operation as I can with it. The aim for the rally is to come to the finish with a smile on my face. It would be nice to make some good times, but the priority here is the experience and the seat time in Rally1.
“For Estonia, I have good experience – I have been there quite a few times and won with the Rally2 car before. But for now, it’s just about me doing as much homework as I can. The time is quite short before the start, so me and Elliott will be working on the notes, looking at the onboards and talking with the team as much as we can.
“It’s really happening now. Thanks to Toyota, the dream is coming true.”
