Markko Märtin was the first Estonian rally star in the WRC at the beginning of the 2000s. Since then, Ott Tänak has risen to the top of the sport.
Romet Jürgenson took a different path to his first WRC rallies. At 24, Jürgenson had ridden motocross in his youth but was introduced to rallying about ten years ago by his uncle. He participated in so-called Rahvaralli races in his home country, which are competitions organized by the local motorsport federation for amateurs.
However, like most drivers aspiring to reach the pinnacle of rallying, Jürgenson encountered a similar problem: he simply couldn’t find the budget for proper rallies and competitive equipment.
Jürgenson gave up on his dream and joined the military. One evening, he was scrolling through his phone and stumbled upon a tweet by Yves Matton: The International Automobile Federation had created a new FIA Rally Star program, looking for future rally hopes through video game qualifiers.
Jürgenson delivered top performances on his home computer and was selected for the final phase, where competitors raced in crosskarts. Jürgenson was chosen as the winner in the European final in January 2022, which included 88 other drivers.
The prize was sweet: six fully funded rallies across Europe in a Ford Fiesta Rally3 car for the 2023 season. Jürgenson’s training season under the FIA Rally Star program went so well that he secured a spot in the JWRC class for this season.
With two rounds of the JWRC season completed, Jürgenson dominates the points table. In Rally Sweden, he took second place in his class, and in Croatia, he won, a victory he holds in high regard.
“Considering where I’ve come from and how quickly I’ve entered rallying, achieving something like this in my first junior year – I’d say it’s something to be proud of,” Jürgenson told Estonia’s public broadcaster ERR.
In the Croatian tarmac rally, there were a total of 24 Rally3 crews, 17 of whom also participated in the JWRC class. Jürgenson was utterly dominant, winning his class by a two and a half minute margin.
Jürgenson set nine class-leading times over the weekend, a robust demonstration of the Estonian hope’s skills.
“I like to be realistic. I see that the junior series, compared to the tougher WRC2 series, definitely isn’t as competitive. But looking at how many cars there are, nearly 20 cars at each stage. That creates some competition, and there are very strong drivers there, there’s no doubt about that, but WRC2 is where the real professional league starts,” Jürgenson said.
The Estonian has already revised his goals for this season.
“The shift in my goals began already at the Rally Sweden. There it became clear that I have the speed to compete in the top three. From the Croatia Rally onwards, my clear goal is to be in the top three at every stage. The goal in Croatia might have been higher than in the other rallies. Now a very challenging rally is coming up – Sardinia – where I have not participated. I also raced in Croatia last year.”
Jürgenson has high stakes in the JWRC class. FIA fully funds his participation in the junior class for next year as well. However, if he manages to win the JWRC championship this season or next, he will be awarded four rallies in the WRC2 class. Additionally, FIA will sponsor a few more WRC rallies.
“This would provide a good base on which to build my career, but moving forward depends on many things and luck is also needed,” Jürgenson noted.
