Young Finnish hot shot Teemu Suninen will be promoted to drive a Fiesta World Rally Car in Poland and for his home event, Rally Finland.
Suninen, 22, finished second in last year's WRC2 championship in an ORECA-run Skoda, and will drive a Fiesta R5 car alongside fellow M-Sport pilot Eric Camilli in Sweden, Corsica, Portugal, Italy, Spain and Great Britain.
Suninen's main aim in 2017 is to take the WRC2 title, which he narrowly lost to Esapekka Lappi last year. En route to the runner-up slot in the 2016 championship, he took category wins in Mexico, Italy and Poland, and was still in with a chance for the WRC2 title until a disappointing third place on Wales Rally GB, run on his favoured surface, gravel.
Both of the cars Suninen will drive this year will be run by M-Sport directly, and he will be backed in 2017 by Rally Finland sponsor, Neste Oil.
“It’s an amazing feeling,” said the young Finn after being confirmed for World Rally Car entries in Poland and Finland. "I couldn’t be happier."