*Top Czech Kopecký the driver to beat on home FIA European championship counter *World star Sordo makes ERC debut in factory-supported Hyundai *Fans will be out in force as newcomers join ERC Junior ranks *Érdi Jr bids for ERC2 title number two
The most successful driver in Barum Czech Rally Zlín history and unbeaten at home in 22 events, former European champion Jan Kopecký will serve as the ultimate benchmark for the ERC Junior drivers aiming for the top when the 2018 FIA European Rally Championship resumes on the hugely demanding sealed-surface roads in south-eastern Moravia from 24-26 August.
Part of the famous factory ŠKODA Motorsport line-up, Kopecký is renowned as an asphalt master and rarely falters in the heat of battle, making him the driver to beat when Barum Czech Rally Zlín turns 48 this year.
While Kopecký’s threat won’t be lost on Alexey Lukyanuk – the ERC title leader after five all-action rounds – it provides further motivation for the young stars in R5 cars competing in the FIA ERC Junior Under 28 Championship.
They include Czech talents Jan Černý and Filip Mareš, who are backed by the Autoklub of the Czech Republic under the ACCR Czech Rally Team banner. Černý is already a winner in the category, while Mareš is embarking on his first season in R5 machinery having excelled in ERC Junior U27 in 2017.
Mareš can count on the guidance of Czech rallying legend Roman Kresta, who has 20 Barum Czech Rally Zlín starts – and three wins – to his name and has successfully transferred his skills as a driver into team management via his Kresta Racing concern.
The team from Luhačovice will run a second ŠKODA Fabia R5 for Briton Rhys Yates, who is making his Barum Czech Rally Zlín debut.
ŠKODA AUTO Deutschland’s Fabian Kreim, who extended his ERC Junior U28 lead with his maiden category win on the previous round in Rome, will make his second Barum Czech Rally Zlín start one week after contesting his home round of the world championship.
Latvia-based Russian Nikolay Gryazin revved up for Zlín with a winning run on Rally Rzeszow in Poland and has the pace to chase the outright victory in his Sports Racing Technologies Fabia.
Laurent Pellier got a taste of the Barum Czech Rally Zlín when he completed the recce in 2017 as part of the ERC Junior Experience training programme. And after a non-finish in Italy, the PEUGEOT Rally Academy star from France will be aiming to bounce back in Czech Republic.
Briton Chris Ingram, the reigning ERC Junior U27 champion, was on the podium in Rome as he bids for back-to-back titles with Toksport WRT. Poland’s Aleks Zawada, another ERC Junior U27 graduate, won his class in Zlín last season and is entered by his family-run MSZ Racing team.
Source: Automobilsport