Solberg hoping for 2026 graduation to WRC after WRC2 success

Newly crowned WRC2 champion Oliver Solberg feels he’s done “everything he can” and is now hopeful of a graduation to the World Rally Championship’s top tier next season.

Solberg and co-driver Elliott Edmondson clinched a maiden WRC2 title in style by taking a fifth class win of the year in Chile, driving a Printsport-prepared Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 car.

The triumph is the latest success in what has been a breakthrough year, headlined by a famous outright WRC win in a one-off Rally1 drive for the factory Toyota squad at Rally Estonia in July.

“I feel absolutely incredible. I’m overwhelmed and I need to breathe. Oh my god, it has been a fantastic year the whole season. Five wins out of seven and a win in WRC, me and Elliott have done not a bad job,” said Solberg.

“I don’t think I have understood yet that I have won the championship, because it is so overwhelming in a way. It has been a mentally hard weekend. Last year it looked very similar [with the WRC2 title on the line in Chile] and there was one rock in the line and this year there was no rock in the line. You need a bit of luck of course, but it is just fantastic.

Edmondson added: “This was our goal at the start of the year and to achieve this is a massive thing for us. There was one other obvious achievement we had in Estonia where we won. This is the best year we could possibly have imagined. We have achieved so many great things this year, it is the icing on cake.”

Looking ahead to 2026

Having now claimed the WRC2 title, Solberg was asked about his plans for next season at the Rally Chile podium, where he revealed that he is yet to sign any deal for 2026. The son of 2003 WRC champion Petter Solberg is however hoping that this success can help secure a full-season in the WRC top tier.

Toyota, Hyundai and M-Sport-Ford are yet to announce any plans regarding Rally1 driver line-ups for next year.

Oliver Solberg, Elliott Edmondson, Printsport Toyota GR Yaris Rally

Photo by: McKlein Photography / LAT Images via Getty Images

“I can promise you there is no contract signed that is for sure, I wish,” he said when asked about the prospect of stepping up to Rally1 in 2026.

“This championship [WRC2] is what we always knew we could do and that is a final relief but the WRC win [in Estonia] that was something we hadn’t dreamed of quite yet and to do that, this was a crazy emotion.

“I really hope we can try and get something together and get a good plan for next year and hopefully have a full season of WRC. I think we have done everything we can and now we just have to do everything we can to try and get into a top team.”