The biggest question surrounds who will replace Kalle Rovanperä, who is leaving the WRC at the end of the season. The strongest candidate for the vacant seat is Oliver Solberg, who this year captured the WRC2 title and also celebrated victory at Rally Estonia driving Toyota’s Rally1 car.
Toyota is expected to reveal its 2026 line-up after Rally Japan on 10 November. In addition to the main WRC stars, the announcement may also include other interesting driver signings.
According to Finnish magazine Vauhdin Maailma, Toyota has chosen a new driver for its so-called Challenge Programme – and the choice is a surprising one. VM reports that Estonian prospect Jaspar Vaher has been selected for the team’s prestigious development scheme.
Until now, Toyota’s Challenge Programme has only featured Japanese drivers, who have gone through a two-stage selection process – first in Japan and then in Finland. This winter, another group of hopefuls will arrive in Central Finland for new evaluations.
Vauhdin Maailma reports that Toyota quietly organised a separate test session for young European drivers, which also included Finnish hopefuls. The selection ultimately fell to the Estonian teenager Vaher, who was chosen ahead of several strong candidates, including highly rated Tuukka Kauppinen.
Only 18 years old, Vaher has competed this season in the Junior ERC, where he finished fourth in the championship standings. Driving a front-wheel-drive Lancia Ypsilon Rally4, the same car used by Kauppinen, Vaher impressed by recording twice as many stage wins as his Finnish rival, who finished fifth overall.
So far, Vaher has only driven front-wheel-drive machinery. If he joins Toyota’s elite programme, the next logical step would be to move up to a four-wheel-drive Rally3 car. Jumping straight to Toyota’s Rally2 car would likely be too big a leap at this stage of his career.
Therefore, Vaher is unlikely to be signed directly as Solberg’s replacement if the Swede moves from Toyota’s Rally2 programme to a top-class Rally1 seat. The position left vacant at Printsport is instead expected to go to a more experienced driver capable of mounting a serious WRC2 title challenge next season.
