To quote Jon Bon Jovi in Living on a Prayer: We’re halfway there! The inaugural Motornerd Awards continue and with the team’s and driver’s categories all wrapped up I decided to shift onto a celebration of an individual’s standout performance across one weekend.

Yet despite having 48 weeks at my disposal, one shot straight to my mind and felt immediately as though it was exactly the kind of drive this award was made to celebrate.It’s our first rallying recipient, who’s recent defection from Hyundai to Toyota was vindicated in Estonia earlier this year.The 2025 Motornerd Drive of The Year is Oliver Solberg’s award, for his jaw-dropping dance across through the forests of the Baltic region in this year’s WRC Rally Estonia.

Heading into the 2025 Estonian Rally, the seventh round of the World Rally Championship, Oliver had accrued a mere 12 WRC starts in Rally1 machinery and hadn’t competed in the top class since 2022.

But having become the WRC2 champion last year, Solberg signed on as a Toyota affiliate with the Printsport outfit piloting a Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 and found himself rewarded. Halfway through this year’s campaign, Toyota gave him a Rally1 drive, his first since New Zealand in 2022 back in his Hyundai days. What happened next was a drive of such magnitude, a display of such raw natural talent that even the foolhardiest of Vegas punters wouldn’t have risked their hard-hustled cash. Up against a field slim on entries but immense in quality including Elfyn Evans, eventual 2025 champion Sebastian Ogier and Kalle Rovenpera Solberg could easily be intimidated.

And yet the son of a Peter, the WRC champ in 2003, the Swede had plans to prove them wrong. Under immense pressure to perform after a surprise call-up, knowing that a good result could see Toyota extend their graces further and hand the Swede a part, or even full time deal for 2026 Solberg tore up the Estonian gravel. He was more than comfortable in this part of the world, having won the Latvian Rally Championship during the formative years of his career.

In astonishing circumstances, Oliver led the rally overall by Friday evening and left everyone else in his tyre-tracks. On Sunday afternoon, though Rovenpera won the power stage Solberg went on to pick up nine stage wins and dominate the weekend’s rallying discourse – and the rally itself, taking his maiden overall victory on his first start for Toyota.

Naturally, such sensational skill didn’t go unrewarded, and with Kalle Rovenpera’s switch to Super Formula leaving the door open Toyota made the only sensible decision. In 2026 Oliver Solberg will make a long overdue return to Rally1 on a part time basis, his first since that 2022 campaign with Hyundai.

His time in the second tier has evidently allowed his skill and maturity as a driver to blossom, having fostered his talent brilliantly, and now thoughts will turn to brand new territory: In 2026, Oliver Solberg now has the opportunity to take the title and in doing so become along with his father Peter the first father-son duo to win the World Rally Championship.

It’s tantalizing prospect most befitting of a tremendous talent sprung to life in Turku that’s seen Solberg get a full time ride with Toyota for next year, and his brilliant performance more than deserves the 2025 Motornerd Drive of The Year.

Image credit – Focus On The Wheels, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons