Two Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 cars will be entrusted to Johansson-Grönvall and Hoelbling-Fiorini on the high-speed stages of the ninth round of the World Rally Championship.
The young Swede is looking to build on his result in Rome, while the Verona-based driver prepares to tackle the spectacular Estonian event for the first time.
MS Munaretto is preparing to take on one of the fastest and most spectacular rallies of the entire season. From Thursday 16 to Sunday 19 July, the Schio-based team will compete at Delfi Rally Estonia, the ninth round of the 2026 FIA World Rally Championship, fielding two Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 cars on the gravel stages around the city of Tartu.
Carrying number 31 will be Mille Johansson and Johan Grönvall. The Swedish crew returns to WRC2 with MS Munaretto following two events that produced very different outcomes, but both proved valuable in the development of the young Junior WRC champion.
At the recent Rally di Roma Capitale, Johansson and Grönvall brought their Škoda home in sixth place overall, completing a composed and mistake-free rally on technical and demanding roads, made even more challenging by the high temperatures. It was a solid performance, built consistently throughout the weekend and achieved against a highly competitive field featuring some of Europe’s leading crews.
A few days earlier, on the rough and rocky stages of the Acropolis Rally Greece, their progress had been hampered by punctures, which pushed them away from the leading positions in WRC2. Their rally then came to an end after the fifteenth special stage due to a physical issue affecting Grönvall. Estonia therefore provides an opportunity to make a fresh start on completely different terrain, where speed, precision and complete confidence in the pace notes will be decisive.
For Johansson, this will also be a particularly significant event. Estonia’s compact and flowing roads, characterised by long high-speed sections, rapid direction changes, crests and jumps, are closely linked to the Scandinavian rallying tradition. Maximum concentration will nevertheless be essential, as the extremely high average speeds leave very little room for error and demand perfect understanding between driver and co-driver.
The second Škoda Fabia RS Rally2, carrying number 61, will be entrusted to Luca Hoelbling and Federico Fiorini. For the Verona-based driver, Delfi Rally Estonia represents a new experience in the FIA World Rally Championship and his first appearance on Estonian roads, approached with the aim of gaining mileage, gradually building pace and reaching the finish of an exceptionally long and demanding event.
Hoelbling will be reunited with Fiorini in the co-driver’s seat after contesting his two most recent rounds of the Italian Gravel Rally Championship alongside Mauro Grassi. At the Rally di San Marino, the Movisport driver finished thirteenth overall and sixth in the Pirelli Star Terra 4RM classification, completing a highly selective rally in which consistency played a crucial role.
Before that, at the Rally Adriatico, Hoelbling claimed ninth place overall following a steadily improving performance. After a difficult start, the Verona-based driver managed to progressively improve both his stage times and feeling with the car, recovering ground and breaking into the top ten on the gravel roads of the Marche region.
Estonia, however, will present a completely new challenge. Its eighteen special stages, covering more than three hundred competitive kilometres, will require a different approach compared with the Italian championship rounds, both because of the length of the rally and the nature of roads tackled at speeds rarely experienced in domestic competition. For Hoelbling and Fiorini, the priority will be to build their weekend one stage at a time, focusing on adapting to the car and ensuring the utmost accuracy in their pace notes.
Delfi Rally Estonia will get under way on Thursday 16 July, before developing across three intense days of competition on the roads of southern Estonia. For MS Munaretto, it will be a weekend of considerable technical and sporting value, featuring two crews with different objectives, but united by the determination to take on one of the most fascinating and fastest events on the World Rally Championship calendar.
