ACI Rally Monza: ŠKODA FABIA Rally2 evo drivers decide WRC2 Teams’ Championship*

With the drivers’ title already secured by Andreas Mikkelsen*, the focus in category WRC2 was on the duel for the still open teams’ championship. ŠKODA Motorsport supported team Toksport WRT had entered Norwegian Mikkelsen with new co-driver Phil Hall (GBR) and Marco Bulacia/Marcelo der Ohannesian (BOL/ARG). Competitor Movisport counted on Russians Nikolay Gryazin/ Konstantin Aleksandrov and local heroes Enrico Brazzoli/Manuel Fenoli. Car of choice for all four crews: the ŠKODA FABIA Rally2 evo.

From the word go, the fight for category lead was on between Mikkelsen and Gryazin. As it turned out, luck was only on the Russian’s side. While Mikkelsen lost a full two minutes while changing a punctured tyre in stage 6, Gryazin came away with only a 45 seconds time loss after hitting a concrete block in the same test. With the two fastest drivers in trouble, Bulacia reached the first leg’s finish as WRC2 leader. But the next morning, it was the young Bolivian’s turn to destroy and eventually loose a wheel. That saw Gryazin relegated back to the category lead.

Although Andreas Mikkelsen took back some seconds by scoring a couple of WRC2 stage wins and Marco Bulacia restarted on Sunday, it was to no avail for Toksport WRT. With Gryazin winning and Brazzoli fourth, Movisport collected enough points, to finally take the WRC2 Teams’ Championship*.

Meanwhile in WRC3, ŠKODA FABIA Rally2 evo driver Kajetan Kajetanowicz of Polish Team Orlen and Frenchman Yohan Rossel came to the 2021 season’s finale as the only title contenders. Already the first leg showed, that Rossel was a touch faster on the mountain roads while Kajetanowicz and co-driver Maciej Szczepaniak held the upper hands on the Autodromo Nazionale stages. So, the triple FIA European Rally Champion (2015-2017) was not worried too much, when the Sunday started with him trailing Rossel by a mere 2.6 seconds. With the final stages all inside the race track’s compound, favour should be on his side.

In the penultimate stage, Kajetanowicz overtook his French rival. With only 1.6 seconds separating both, the final Powerstage had to decide the duel. And what a thriller that was: Rossel finished the 14.62 kilometres test 4.7 seconds faster than Kajetanowicz. The ŠKODA FABIA Rally2 evo from Poland finally had to be content with second overall in WRC3. Because Rossel changed his navigator during the season, at least Szczepaniak was crowned WRC3 Co-Drivers’ Champion*. “It was a fantastic battle to finish an amastin season,” Kajetanowicz concluded. Four more ŠKODA FABIA Rally2 evo crews made it into the WRC3 top 10.

ACI Rally Monza finished off the 2021 FIA World Rally Championship. Next season kicks off with the legendary Rallye Monte-Carlo, 20 to 23 January 2022.

* subject to confirmation by the FIA


Result ACI Rally Monza (WRC2)

** scoring points for WRC2 Teams’ Championship only


Top 3 WRC2 Drivers’ Championship, final after 12 rallies

Top 3 WRC2 Teams’ Championship, final after 12 rallies

Result ACI Rally Monza (WRC3)

Top 3 WRC3 overall, final after 12 rallies

Number of the rally: 2
During the 2021 season, Nikolay Gryazin and co-driver Konstantin Aleksandrov competed two WRC2 rounds in a ŠKODA FABIA Rally2 evo – both times, they scored maximum WRC2 Teams’ Championship points for Movisport.


2021 FIA World Rally Championship (WRC)