1. Overview
Martin Järveoja (Martin Järveojaˈmɑr.tin ˈjær.ʋeˈojɑEstonian; born August 18, 1987) is an Estonian rally co-driver. He is widely recognized for his highly successful partnership with driver Ott Tänak, with whom he secured the 2019 World Rally Championship title. Throughout his career, Järveoja has competed for prominent teams such as M-Sport, Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT, and Hyundai Motorsport. As of his last listed rally, he has participated in 130 World Rally Championship events, achieved 21 victories, stood on the podium 48 times, and secured 333 stage wins. His first WRC rally was the 2010 Jordan Rally, and his first victory came at the 2017 Rally Italia Sardegna.
2. Early Life and Background
Before embarking on his illustrious rally career, Martin Järveoja was deeply involved in judo, showcasing early athletic prowess. His entry into rallying was a natural progression from his familial connections to the sport.
2.1. Childhood and Judo Career
Born on August 18, 1987, in Elva, Tartu County, Estonia, Martin Järveoja is the son of Estonian politician Toomas Järveoja. From a young age, Järveoja dedicated himself to judo, a sport in which he competed for over 20 years. During his judo career, he achieved significant success, earning five Estonian championship titles. This extensive background in judo highlights his discipline, strategic thinking, and competitive spirit, qualities that would later prove invaluable in the demanding world of rally co-driving.
2.2. Early Rally Career
Järveoja began his rally career in 2006, initially serving as a co-driver for several drivers within his own family. These early experiences included partnering with his cousin, Ken Järveoja, and his uncle, Tarmo Järveoja. He honed his skills by competing in various regional and national championships, gaining crucial experience in different rally formats and conditions.
His debut in the World Rally Championship occurred in 2010 at the 2010 Jordan Rally, where he co-drove for Karl Kruuda. Initially, their participation was as a private entry, making it challenging to compete directly with factory-backed teams. However, they continued to gain experience, and in the 2014 World Rally Championship-2 season, Järveoja and Kruuda finished fifth overall. Their performance was marked by notable victories in Sweden and Finland, demonstrating Järveoja's growing capabilities as a co-driver on the international stage.
3. World Rally Championship Career
Martin Järveoja's World Rally Championship career is defined by his long-standing and highly successful collaboration with driver Ott Tänak, leading to a world championship title and numerous rally victories across various top-tier teams.
3.1. Partnership with Ott Tänak
The pivotal moment in Martin Järveoja's career came in December 2016 when he signed a contract with M-Sport and officially formed a partnership with fellow Estonian driver Ott Tänak. This partnership quickly proved to be exceptionally strong, with their combined talents leading to immediate success. They achieved their first World Rally Championship victory together at the 2017 Rally Italia Sardegna.

The duo's success continued, leading them to join Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT in 2018. Following a successful period with Toyota, they transitioned to Hyundai Motorsport in 2020. This move allowed them to compete with a new manufacturer and continue their pursuit of further championship titles. Their relationship as driver and co-driver has consistently remained strong and collaborative throughout these team changes.
3.2. World Championship Victory and Major Wins
The peak of Järveoja and Tänak's career came in the 2019 World Rally Championship season. They delivered an outstanding performance, securing six victories across the season at the Rally Sweden, Rally Chile, Rally de Portugal, Rally Finland, Rallye Deutschland, and Wales Rally GB. Their consistent top finishes culminated in them being crowned the World Rally Championship world champions in Catalunya, with one rally event still remaining in the season. This victory marked a historic achievement for both Järveoja and Tänak, solidifying their status as one of the most formidable pairings in rally history.
Beyond their championship-winning season, Järveoja and Tänak have accumulated a total of 21 World Rally Championship victories across various seasons and teams. Their wins include:
- 2017: 2017 Rally Italia Sardegna, 2017 Rallye Deutschland
- 2018: 2018 Rally Argentina, 2018 Rally Finland, 2018 Rallye Deutschland, 2018 Rally Turkey
- 2019: 2019 Rally Sweden, 2019 Rally Chile, 2019 Rally de Portugal, 2019 Rally Finland, 2019 Rallye Deutschland, 2019 Wales Rally GB
- 2020: 2020 Rally Estonia
- 2021: 2021 Arctic Rally
- 2022: 2022 Rally Italia Sardegna, 2022 Rally Finland, 2022 Ypres Rally
- 2023: 2023 Rally Sweden, 2023 Rally Chile
- 2024: 2024 Rally Italia Sardegna, 2024 Central European Rally
4. Career Statistics
Martin Järveoja's rally career is extensively documented through his detailed statistical results across multiple World Rally Championship categories.
4.1. Summary of WRC Results
Since his debut in 2010, Martin Järveoja has participated in 130 World Rally Championship events, achieving 21 victories, securing 48 podium finishes, and winning 333 stages. His most successful year was 2019, when he and Ott Tänak won the World Rally Championship title. He has consistently ranked among the top co-drivers, securing third place in 2017 and 2018, second in 2022, third in 2020 and 2024, and fourth in 2023.
4.2. Detailed Rally Series Results
Season still in progress.
Year | Entrant | Car | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | WDC | Points |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2010 | World Rally Team Estonia | Suzuki Swift S1600 | SWE | MEX | JOR 22 | TUR 31 | NZL | POR 27 | BUL 18 | FIN | GER 30 | JPN | FRA | NC | 0 | |||
Honda Civic Type-R R3 | ESP 28 | |||||||||||||||||
Karl Kruuda | Suzuki Swift S1600 | GBR Ret | ||||||||||||||||
2011 | ME3 Rally Team | Škoda Fabia S2000 | SWE | MEX 15 | POR 13 | JOR 11 | ITA 21 | ARG | GRE 23 | FIN 27 | GER 22 | AUS | FRA | ESP 28 | NC | 0 | ||
Karl Kruuda | Ford Fiesta S2000 | GBR 28 | ||||||||||||||||
2012 | Karl Kruuda | Ford Fiesta S2000 | MON | SWE | MEX | POR | ARG | GRE | NZL | FIN 12 | GBR 21 | FRA | ITA Ret | ESP 23 | NC | 0 | ||
Škoda Fabia S2000 | GER Ret | |||||||||||||||||
2013 | MM Motorsport | Ford Fiesta R5 | MON | SWE | MEX | POR | ARG | GRE | ITA | FIN Ret | GER 18 | AUS | FRA | ESP | GBR | NC | 0 | |
2014 | Printsport | Ford Fiesta S2000 | MON | SWE 11 | MEX | POR 12 | ARG | FIN 10 | GER | AUS | FRA | ESP 24 | GBR 16 | 28th | 1 | |||
Tagai Racing Technology | Peugeot 208 T16 | ITA 15 | POL Ret | |||||||||||||||
2015 | ME3 Rally Team | Citroën DS3 R5 | MON | SWE | MEX | ARG | POR 26 | ITA Ret | POL 14 | FIN | GER | AUS | FRA | ESP | GBR | NC | 0 | |
2016 | Drive DMACK Trophy Team | Ford Fiesta R5 | MON | SWE | MEX | ARG | POR Ret | ITA 11 | POL 23 | FIN Ret | GER | CHN C | FRA | ESP | GBR | AUS | NC | 0 |
2017 | M-Sport WRT | Ford Fiesta WRC | MON 3 | SWE 2 | MEX 4 | FRA 11 | ARG 3 | POR 4 | ITA 1 | POL Ret | FIN 7 | GER 1 | ESP 3 | GBR 6 | AUS 2 | 3rd | 191 | |
2018 | Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT | Toyota Yaris WRC | MON 2 | SWE 9 | MEX 14 | FRA 2 | ARG 1 | POR Ret | ITA 9 | FIN 1 | GER 1 | TUR 1 | GBR 19 | ESP 6 | AUS Ret | 3rd | 181 | |
2019 | Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT | Toyota Yaris WRC | MON 3 | SWE 1 | MEX 2 | FRA 6 | ARG 8 | CHL 1 | POR 1 | ITA 5 | FIN 1 | GER 1 | TUR 16 | GBR 1 | ESP 2 | AUS C | 1st | 263 |
2020 | Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT | Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC | MON Ret | SWE 2 | MEX 2 | EST 1 | TUR 17 | ITA 6 | MNZ 2 | 3rd | 105 | |||||||
2021 | Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT | Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC | MON Ret | ARC 1 | CRO 4 | POR 21 | ITA 24 | KEN 3 | EST 31 | BEL 6 | GRE 2 | FIN 2 | ESP Ret | MNZ | 5th | 128 | ||
2022 | Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT | Hyundai i20 N Rally1 | MON Ret | SWE 20 | CRO 2 | POR 6 | ITA 1 | KEN Ret | EST 3 | FIN 1 | BEL 1 | GRE 2 | NZL 3 | ESP 4 | JPN 2 | 2nd | 205 | |
2023 | M-Sport Ford WRT | Ford Puma Rally1 | MON 5 | SWE 1 | MEX 9 | CRO 2 | POR 4 | ITA 35 | KEN 6 | EST 9 | FIN Ret | GRE 4 | CHL 1 | EUR 3 | JPN 6 | 4th | 174 | |
2024 | Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT | Hyundai i20 N Rally1 | MON 4 | SWE 41 | KEN 8 | CRO 4 | POR 2 | ITA 1 | POL 40 | LAT 3 | FIN Ret | GRE 3 | CHL 3 | EUR 1 | JPN Ret | 3rd | 200 |
4.3. WRC-2 results
Year | Entrant | Car | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | WDC | Points |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2013 | MM Motorsport | Ford Fiesta R5 | MON | SWE | MEX | POR | ARG | GRE | ITA | FIN Ret | GER 5 | AUS | FRA | ESP | GBR | 29th | 10 | |
2014 | Printsport | Ford Fiesta S2000 | MON | SWE 1 | MEX | POR 4 | ARG | FIN 1 | GER | AUS | FRA | ESP 7 | GBR 5 | 5th | 90 | |||
Tagai Racing Technology | Peugeot 208 T16 | ITA 4 | POL Ret | |||||||||||||||
2015 | ME3 Rally Team | Citroën DS3 R5 | MON | SWE | MEX | ARG | POR 11 | ITA Ret | POL 3 | FIN | GER | AUS | FRA | ESP | GBR | 25th | 15 | |
2016 | Drive DMACK Trophy Team | Ford Fiesta R5 | MON | SWE | MEX | ARG | POR Ret | ITA 3 | POL 10 | FIN Ret | GER | CHN C | FRA | ESP | GBR | AUS | 18th | 16 |
4.4. JWRC results
Year | Entrant | Car | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | WDC | Points |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2010 | World Rally Team Estonia | Suzuki Swift S1600 | TUR 6 | POR 2 | BUL 5 | GER 3 | FRA | 4th | 59 | |
Honda Civic Type-R R3 | ESP 6 |
4.5. SWRC results
Year | Entrant | Car | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | WDC | Points |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2011 | ME3 Rally Team | Škoda Fabia S2000 | MEX 4 | JOR 2 | ITA 6 | GRE 8 | FIN 7 | GER 5 | FRA | ESP 7 | 6th | 64 |
5. Personal Life
Martin Järveoja is the son of Toomas Järveoja, a notable Estonian politician. Beyond his family connections, Järveoja maintains friendships within the public sphere, including with Baruto, the former sumo wrestler and mixed martial artist.
6. Awards and Honours
Martin Järveoja's contributions to Estonian sports have been recognized with significant accolades. In 2020, he and his driving partner, Ott Tänak, were collectively honored as the Estonian Athlete of the Year, a prestigious award acknowledging their outstanding achievements in the field of sport.
7. External links
- [https://www.instagram.com/martinjarveoja Martin Järveoja on Instagram]
- [http://wrc.com/en/wrc/drivers/co-drivers/co-driver/martin--j%C3%A4rveoja/page/893-94-893--.html?h=2017/drivers/6264 Profile on WRC.com]
- [http://ewrc-results.com/coprofile/10878-martin-jarveoja/ Profile on eWRC-results.com]