The gentleman’s agreement between WRC2 rivals

Gus Greensmith explained an understanding he has with Oliver Solberg and Yohan Rossel

Photography by Škoda & Red Bull

Words by Luke Barry

WRC2 can be a tactical affair – we’ve seen it most famously with Kajetan Kajetanowicz in 2022, and now Nikolay Gryazin this year.

But that’s not how three of the main protagonists want to play it. So much so that between Oliver Solberg, Yohan Rossel and Gus Greensmith, DirtFish has learned there is a gentleman’s agreement in place to ensure they all race each other at points throughout the year.

Drivers can enter all 14 rounds of the World Rally Championship in a Rally2 car if they wish, but can only nominate seven events to score WRC2 points at. The best six scores from that maximum of seven are used to calculate a drivers’ points tally and therefore decide who’s champion.

This is where the tactics come in. Do you enter the events you simply feel you’re strongest at? Or do you enter the events where you expect the entry to be smaller, and therefore your odds of winning are improved?

For Solberg, Rossel and Greensmith – who are fighting together for the third successive season and each searching their first elusive title – they would rather win the championship knowing they’ve unequivocally been the best.

And that means they need to compete against each other.

Greensmith, Solberg and Rossel don't want to just be world champion - they want to feel like world champion

“We kind of have a gentleman’s agreement that we’d do certain rallies to compete against each other,” Greensmith told DirtFish. “So we have the core four, I would say, where we have to race each other. But there’s some flexibility.

“It’s not set in stone yet which ones I’ll score at [for example], but for sure, I won’t be in Estonia and I won’t score points in Finland.”

So far this year the trio have competed directly against each other in Portugal and in Greece – with Solberg coming out on top both times.

In 2023 they squared off at the same events, while last year it was in Portugal and Chile.

“To give it some context, we all appreciate that we need to race each other on at least four events to say you’re a proper world champion,” Greensmith added.

Each driver is allowed their own strong events (like Kenya for Greensmith) but they'll try and directly race at least three times a year

“So we don’t shy away from entering the rounds we all know we will definitely score points on.

“There isn’t a definite core four, but you’re looking at Portugal, Greece, Chile and one more for example. Generally it’s the rallies with the highest entry lists for scoring, bar Chile.”

Greensmith said there is “no need to discuss” the rallies they’ll each enter between them “because we all have the same view, hence the gentleman’s agreement”.

But they will of course go to rallies they know they’re strong.

“We all have a few of our own rounds,” Greensmith explained. “Me in Kenya, Oliver in Sweden and Yohan in Monte Carlo.”

Rallies they each won this year, just to add.

“But the majority, we will compete against each other,” Greensmith continued. “There’s no shying away.”

Solberg currently leads the championship having started four rallies and won three, with Rossel (two wins) just behind him after five of his permitted events. Greensmith (one win) is third, with three starts so far.

Gryazin meanwhile is making just his second start of 2025 at this month’s Rally Estonia – and with Rossel and Greensmith both absent and Solberg now competing in the Rally1 class, he has a simpler route to victory.

Solberg can’t understand that strategy.

“I know Gryazin is a very quick guy and we were fighting in Sardinia together, but both didn’t score points for some stupid reason,” he told DirtFish.

“But yeah, I’ve already done four, Rossel’s already done five, and so on, and he just waits ’til the end. I think it’s a bit of a cowardly thing to do. I like when we all fight against each other and the best wins.

Solberg prefers a race on the stages, not indepedently on the points table

“I’ve always said that since the beginning, because I’ve always been very confident with my speed since the last three years, that if we all drive together, I know I can beat them.

“And that has always been my goal, but that’s how it is.”

As for Greensmith, he’s aware of who he needs to beat.

“It’s been a good start to the year, my best start to the year. That’s very pleasing to have, but for sure, it’s a long way to go in the year,” he said.

“I’m a few rallies behind Oliver and Yohan in scoring points, but Oliver’s looking very strong, so we need to get further up the podium going forward.”

Words:Luke Barry

Tags: Gus Greensmith, Nikolay Gryazin, Oliver Solberg, WRC2, WRC2 2025, Yohan Rossel

Publish Date July 6, 2025 DirtFish https://dirtfish-editorial.s3-accelerate.amazonaws.com/2025/07/h9D5NjYb-navrh-bez-nazvu-21-780x439.jpg July 6, 2025

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