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  • ŠKODA at Rally RACC Catalunya-Espana: New WRC 2 champion Kopecký wants to crown season with another win

    ŠKODA at Rally RACC Catalunya-Espana: New WRC 2 champion Kopecký wants to crown season with another win

    WRC 2 leaders Jan Kopecký and Pavel Dresler (ŠKODA FABIA R5) want to crown a successful season
    with a WRC 2 victory. Photo: Skoda Auto

    Mladá Boleslav, 24 October 2018: ŠKODA’s Jan Kopecký and Pavel Dresler will enter this weekend’s Rally RACC Catalunya-Rally de España as newly crowned WRC 2 champions. With only two rallies left in the 2018 season, the Czech duo is uncatchable in the WRC 2 overall standings. Also, ŠKODA Motorsport already secured the WRC 2 Championship for Teams.

    ŠKODA junior Kalle Rovanperä and co-driver Jonne Halttunen (FIN/FIN) compete for the first time in Spain and aim for another top result after their maiden WRC 2 win for ŠKODA at the recent Wales Rally GB.

    ŠKODA Motorsport boss Michal Hrabánek is more than happy with his team’s 2018 season: “We saw a fantastic fight between Pontus Tidemand and Jan Kopecký for the WRC 2 championship. We equally granted six rallies to both drivers. Jan is doing his rally number six in Spain. He can’t be caught by Pontus anymore, because he has already done six events.

    “We are very proud that we could defend both WRC 2 Championship titles for drivers and teams, ŠKODA crews winning 10 out of 11 rounds of the WRC 2 championship 2018 so far. We warmly welcome Volkswagen entering the R5 competition for the first time with the Polo in Spain.”

    For ŠKODA Motorsport, Rally RACC Catalunya-Rally de España marks the end of a successful season. The final round of the FIA World Rally Championship, Rally Australia, never was part of the team’s 2018 program.

    Kalle Rovanperä and co-driver Jonne Halttunen aim for another top result in Spain. Photo: Skoda Auto

    One of the toughest rivals for Kopecký will be Rovanperä who recently won the WRC 2 category at Wales Rally GB right after his 18th birthday. “The victory in Wales was great. Hopefully, we can keep this momentum into the Spanish WRC round to finish the season on a high,” said the young Finn.

    Nevertheless, Kopecký also looks forward to Spain’s championship round with optimism. “I have a really fantastic season so far and could win every rally I was competing in, in total five WRC 2 events and six rallies of the Czech Rally Championship. Last year, I missed the victory in Spain. After all the championship pressure is gone now, I will try my best to settle that bill,” emphasized the Czech champion

    As 12th round of the FIA World Rally Championship, Rally RACC Catalunya-Rally de España offers a special challenge for the 21 WRC 2 crews, among them nine competing in a ŠKODA FABIA R5. The Spanish WRC round is the championship’s only mixed surface rally.

    The first leg on Friday is held on gravel roads with some tarmac sections. On Saturday and Sunday, all stages are entirely run on asphalt. In total, the teams have to face 18 special stages over 331.58 Kms. The winner will reach the podium at the rally’s host town Salou in the south of Catalunya’s capital Barcelona on Sunday.

    A few interesting facts about Rally Catalunya-Espana

    • The WRC event in Spain/Catalunya is the only one which features a mix of gravel stages during leg one and asphalt stages during legs two and three.
    • On Friday evening the service time is 1:15 hours and thus 30 minutes longer than usual, allowing the teams to convert the cars from gravel into tarmac spec.
    • The spectacular Barcelona street stage is back as opener of Rally RACC Catalunya-Rally de España on Thursday evening.
    • Rally RACC Catalunya-Rally de España was first run in 1957, became a round of the European Rally Championship (ERC) in 1975 and in 1991 for the first time was part of the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC)
    • At Rally RACC Catalunya-Rally de España the cars in WRC 2 category are allowed to use a maximum of 10 gravel tyres and 24 asphalt tyres plus an extra of four tyres for shakedown?
    • World Theme Park, featuring the spectacular Dragon Khan roller coaster with eight loops and a top speed of more than 110 kph
  • Tidemand keeps nerve to win Rally Argentina; leads WRC 2 Championship

    Tidemand keeps nerve to win Rally Argentina; leads WRC 2 Championship

    Pontus Tidemand (right) and co-driver Jonas Andersson celebrate Rally Argentina win. The Swediesh pair leads WRC 2 Championship standings. Photos: SKODA Motorsports

    Villa Carlos Paz, 29 April 2018: Reigning WRC 2 Champions Pontus Tidemand and co-driver Jonas Andersson from Sweden repeated their last year’s victory at Rally Argentina, the fifth round of the 2018 FIA World Rally Championship, here on Sunday. The Swedish pairing takes the lead in the WRC 2 championship standings from ŠKODA teammate Jan Kopecký who did not compete in Argentina.

    ŠKODA factory-supported crews Tidemand and Andersson, and Finland’s Kalle Rovanperä and Jonne Halttunen were leading the WRC 2 category going into the event’s last day. But in the penultimate stage, Rovanperä went off the road close to the finish. Thanks to the safety package of the ŠKODA FABIA R5, the crew was unhurt, but had to retire. Norwegians Ole Christian Veiby and Stig Rune Skjaermœn, another duo of ŠKODA juniors, finished second in RC 2 class, which includes the WRC 2 category.

    On the final day of Rally Argentina, three more stages, covering 55.27 kilometres, had to be driven. Tidemand tried everything to catch their young Finnish teammate. With a tremendous effort on the opening “El Condor” stage, he was 13.3 seconds quicker than Rovanperä, reducing the gap to only 9.9 seconds.

    Kalle Rovanperä

    On the penultimate stage, the Rovanpera went off the road close to the end of the stage. Thanks to the safety package of their ŠKODA FABIA R5, they escaped without injury, however. With the WRC 2 lead back in his hands, Tidemand drove cautiously in the last stage and won the category with the huge margin.

    The Swedish crew moved as well into the lead of the WRC 2 championship standings. “Sorry for Kalle. We had a tense fight and I always followed our Team instructions. I believed in my speed myself and obviously did not want to win this way,” Tidemand said.

    After two punctures on the Saturday stages, ŠKODA junior Ole Christian Veiby managed to regain the third position in RC 2 class after a fast time on the opening Sunday stage. In the end, the Norwegian finished in second place.

    ŠKODA Motorsport boss Michal Hrabánek commented: “Accidents are a part of the game. Luckily, the safety standards of modern rally cars like our ŠKODA FABIA R5 are extremely high. So Kalle and Jonne escaped from that accident without being injured. Nevertheless, I want to thank both crews for the tremendous performance they delivered, the whole ŠKODA Motorsport Team did an excellent job.”

    Final Result Rally Argentina (WRC 2): 1. Tidemand/Andersson (SWE/SWE), ŠKODA FABIA R5, 03hrs, 55mins, 44.7 secs; 2. Greensmith/Parry (GBR/GBR), Ford Fiesta R5, +7:39.1 min; 3. Heller/Olmos (CHL/ARG), Ford Fiesta R5, +9:02.9 min; 4. Dominguez/Galindo (MEX/MEX), Hyundai i20 R5, + 15:49.6 min; 5. Solans/Ibanez (ESP/ESP), Ford Fiesta R5, +37:43.9 min.

    Current standings WRC 2 (after 5 of 13 rounds): 1. Tidemand (SWE), ŠKODA, 68 points; 2. Kopecký (CZR) ŠKODA, 50 points; 3. Greensmith (GBR), Ford, 36 points; 4. Heller (CHL), Ford, 30 points; 5. Katsuta (JPN), Ford, 29 points.

  • Tidemand eyeing repeat win in Argentina and take WRC 2 championship lead

    Tidemand eyeing repeat win in Argentina and take WRC 2 championship lead

    Pontus Tidemand seeking a repeat win in Argentina. Photo: SKODA AUTO

    Mladá Boleslav, 24 April 2018: With a repetition of their last year’s win at the upcoming Rally Argentina (26 – 29 April), reigning WRC 2 Champions Pontus Tidemand and Jonas Andersson (SWE/SWE) could move into the championship lead again ahead of their SKODA Motorsport team-mates Jan Kopecký and Pavel Dresler (CZE/CZE) who won two of the four rounds so far.

    Kalle Rovanperä, the 17-year old ŠKODA junior from Finland, is the youngest driver in the Rally Argentina entry list and together with co-driver Jonne Halttunen (FIN) proved his speed on the gravel tracks of the recent Rally Mexico. Norwegians Ole Christian Veiby and Stig Rune Skjaermœn, another duo of ŠKODA juniors, will contest Rally Argentina without being registered for WRC 2 championship points.

    Rally Argentina, fifth round of the FIA World Rally Championship, will see ŠKODA Motorsport competing with Tidemand and Rovanperä. One year ago, Tidemand achieved a dominant win in Argentina for the Czech brand in the WRC 2 category.

    Kalle Rovanpera. Photo: SKODA AUTO

    On the other hand, Rovanperä and Veiby are newcomers to Rally Argentina. Veiby finished fourth at the recent Tour de Corse. In Argentina, he is not registered to score points for the WRC 2 championship.

    ŠKODA Motorsport boss Michal Hrabánek says: “So far, the 2018 Motorsport season is running very well for ŠKODA. After winning in Monte Carlo, Mexico and Corsica we have a double lead in the WRC 2 championship standings. And the development program for our young drivers runs perfect as well. Kalle and OC have shown great performances on World Championship level.

    “Juuso Nordgren made a good impression finishing on the podium with an excellent third place at the last round of the Czech Championship. We will see him during the 2018 season on selected events including some of WRC 2.”

    A strong pillar of the ŠKODA motorsport programme is the activity with customer teams. The ŠKODA FABIA R5 is currently the most successful car in its category and will do its best to keep its position after getting a recent engine upgrade.

    “We’re proud, that with no fewer than seven ŠKODA FABIA R5 in Argentina. We’re the strongest brand in WRC 2 and RC 2 category there. It absolutely proves that our strategy is working. With the presence of our works team we demonstrate the attractiveness and competitiveness of our rally car,” says Hrabánek.

    In Argentina, around 360 Kms over 18 special stages, ranging from the Argentine prairie to altitudes of more than 2,000 metres, sandy tracks across flatlands and rutted mule trails high in the mountains, are waiting for the crews. Demanding tracks in the foothills of the Andes near Cordoba are quite similar to those of Rally Mexico.

    The two ŠKODA FABIA R5, the one that carried Tidemand to victory in Mexico and Rovanperä’s car, were transported directly from Mexico to Cordoba. To a certain extent, they are already “acclimatised” to the Argentine environment.

    The Rally Argentina starts on the evening of Thursday, 26 April, with a spectacular show stage close to the service park in Villa Carlos Paz. The winner is expected on the podium at the shores of Lake San Roque on Sunday, 29 April.

    SKODA AUTO Press Release