ŠKODA heads to the Rally Corsica (1 to 4 October) with the new Fabia R5 on the back of three WRC 2 victories in succession. Armed with its new rally car, the Czech manufacturer will be pushing for more success at the eleventh round of the 13-round season in the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC 2).
Lining up for ŠKODA are the two works crews of Esapekka Lappi/Janne Ferm (FIN/FIN) and Pontus Tidemand/Emil Axelsson (S/S). Tidemand/Axelsson travel to the Mediterranean island as the newly-crowned champions of this year’s Asia-Pacific Rally Championship.
“So far this season, the new Fabia R5 has consistently shown what it is capable of. We are out to continue our winning run on Corsica. The Rally Corsica will be a big challenge for our car and, above all, for our teams, who unfortunately have almost no experience of the special stages this time. Any mistakes are punished mercilessly,” said ŠKODA Motorsport Director Michal Hrabánek.
The ‘Tour de Corse’ is taking place for the 58th time this year, and is regarded as one of the most demanding rallies of all. A precision job is required on the narrow, winding mountain roads, some of which are flanked by steep rock faces on the one side and sea cliffs on the other side. Between Friday and Sunday, a total of nine special stages and over 330 kilometres against the clock must be completed against this breath-taking backdrop. As well as the two ŠKODA works duos, former European champion Armin Kremer (D) will also be in action in a ŠKODA Fabia R5.
“The rally on Corsica is a real challenge. We are in it to win. We are very motivated and know that we cannot afford to make any mistakes,” said Esapekka Lappi. The Finn, currently fourth in the overall WRC 2 standings, already has two victories with the Fabia R5 to his name (Rally Poland and Rally Finland) in the current WRC 2 season. As the three crews ahead of him in the championship are not in action this weekend, a good result could see Lappi significantly close the gap to the leaders.
The ŠKODA works duo of Pontus Tidemand/Emil Axelsson are also well-placed in the WRC 2 championship. Tidemand travels to Corsica as the newly-crowned champion of the FIA Asia-Pacific Rally Championship (APRC). The Swede wrapped up the APRC title with races still to come, courtesy of victory at the Rally Japan on the second weekend in September. This is the fourth APRC title in a row for a ŠKODA works driver – following in the footsteps of Chris Atkinson (AUS/2012), Gaurav Gill (IND/2013) and Jan Kopecký (CZ/2014).
ŠKODA Motorsport Director Hrabánek: “The entire ŠKODA team would like to congratulate Pontus Tidemand and Emil Axelsson on their title in the APRC. Despite being in their first season with ŠKODA Motorsport, they are both doing a superb job.” Pontus Tidemand added: “Winning the APRC is a dream come true. I am now really looking forward to my next start in the World Rally Championship. The rally on Corsica will be like riding on the edge of a razor blade. Our goal is to finish on the podium. To achieve that, we must keep a cool head.”
In its first season, the new ŠKODA Fabia R5 is proving to be a natural born winner. As well as the successful outings in the WRC 2, the new rally car already has three national championships to its name. Fabia R5 driver Jan Kopecký wasted no time in claiming the title in the Czech championship with five wins from five rallies. In Austria, the experienced Raimund Baumschlager won the national championship in his Fabia R5. In Hungary, Norberg Herczig (H) was crowned national rally champion in a Fabia R5.