APRC Skoda drivers Jan Kopecký/Pavel Dresler (CZ) put the new R5 turbo charged Skoda Fabia through its paces at last weekend’s ERC Barum Czech Rally. “This time the priority wasn’t to get the best times, but to test the engine. It was fantastic to drive on the track in front of the tens of thousands of spectators,” said Kopecký.

In the future ŠKODA will use the new rally car in the R5 category to participate in international rallies. ŠKODA motorsport director Michal Hrabánek says the team is on the right path in the development of the new car “We also completed our second mission at the Barum rally: Testing our new vehicle. This saw us set another milestone.”

Skoda’s ‘first’ mission was to continue its bid to win the European Rally Championship and although Esapekka Lappi/Janne Ferm (FIN/FIN) retired on Stage 4 after a small error, the Skoda pair still continue to the lead the European drivers championship

Moving into second place in the drivers championship, 19 points behind Lappi are Skoda driver s Sepp Wiegand/Frank Christian (D/D). This was after a dramatic finish to the Czech Rally, where Weigand just missed out on the outright win by just 0.2 seconds.