Suninen: ERC/WRC2 Marathon Proves He's Ready for Top Class

Teemu Suninen is no stranger to this feeling—and he wouldn't have it any other way. Any chance to show the world he deserves a top-class ride in the World Rally Championship is one the Finn will take, but last week was a welcome reprieve: a week off.

The former M-Sport and Hyundai driver's decision to combine a WRC2 campaign with a full season in the European Rally Championship kept him busy through July. First came Rally di Roma Capitale on the first weekend, followed by Rally Estonia a fortnight later. Then came the real madness: a week after Estonia, he was in Poland for the ERC, then immediately flew to Finland for WRC2. Three rallies in three weeks. This week, he's back at it again at Barum Rally Zlin.

The remarkable part? Suninen finished second in Rome, Estonia, and Finland, and won in Poland—all while switching co-drivers, switching cars (a Skoda on Pirellis and a Toyota on Hankooks), and switching surfaces. “I have had super long weeks from rally to rally, jumping from car to car and still managed to keep this performance until the end,” he told DirtFish. “Even at some points I started to feel it a bit on my body, the tiredness. But yeah, I think we did an amazing job in the end.”

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Four rallies in five weeks is a heavy physical and mental toll, but Suninen is more than willing to pay it for the reputational gain. After sitting out 2025 following a disastrous 2024 in a troubled Hyundai i20 N Rally2, his name is back on the radar of prospective constructors for 2027—especially given he's already a proven podium finisher in the WRC.

“That's the goal for me now,” Suninen admitted. “My main goal is to get to work in a proper team who wants to develop a good future car, because I feel I have really good skills to develop their cars. I have experience from every single car on the grid now, know the benefits, and hopefully we get the seat.”

Winning championships isn't the only way to prove worth, but it doesn't hurt. After four of seven rounds, Suninen leads the ERC standings by 23 points over Andrea Mabellini. In WRC2, things are less clear—not just because rival Robert Virves has won four straight, but because Suninen hasn't secured the budget yet to extend his program.

“It's a bit challenging to find a budget,” he explained. “But hopefully this good result shows that I'm one of the fastest drivers in Rally2 cars, can manage Tarmac and gravel, and even different cars. So it's not a big issue for me to jump between the cars.”