Since its arrival on the world rallying stage, the ŠKODA FABIA R5 has competed at two editions of the Rally Finland, and it could scarcely have a better record to date, with both the ŠKODA Motorsport works team and ŠKODA customer teams enjoying some fine performances.
Ninth round of the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) hosts a country where rallying runs in the blood. The Rally Finland takes place from 27th to 30th July. Based around the University town of Jyväskylä in the west of the Finnish lakeland region, this spectacular rally sees drivers taking on 25 special stages, which comprise 315 kilometers of competitive distance on fast gravel roads through beautiful forests. Speeds are such that the event has gained the nickname of the ‘Finnish Grand Prix’ over the years.
Umberto Scandola secures second win of the season in the Italian Rally Championship to keep title hopes alive. Ole Christian Veiby prepares for Rally Finland with R5 class win at the AutoGlym Ralli. Two ŠKODA FABIA R5s make the podium at the Raliul Perla Harghitei in Romania and there is more success of ŠKODA customer teams in the Slovak Rally Championship and the French Rally Cup.
Fredrik Åhlin regains British Rally Championship lead after his third win of the season. Gustavo Saba leads the CODASUR championship after winning the Rally de San Juan. There is a 1-2-3-4 finish for FABIA R5 drivers at the Veszprém Rallye, with Péter Ranga claiming his first ever win in the Hungarian championship. Roger Feghali wins his first ever rally with a FABIA R5 in Lebanon. Quentin Giordano secures his first podium result in the French tarmac championship.
ŠKODA secures maiden FIA African Rally Championship win, as Manvir Baryan wins Pearl of Africa Uganda Rally. Ole Christian Veiby claims his first WRC2 win at the Rally Poland. There are podium finishes for ŠKODA Customer Teams in the Czech and Turkish rally championships and more ŠKODA success in the French Cup and in Italy.
Ole Christian Veiby has secured his first ever WRC2 victory at 2017 Rally Poland, leading home a ‘1-2-3-4’ result for the ŠKODA FABIA R5, the fifth time the car has achieved this feat in the WRC2 championship.
Jan Kopecký and Pavel Dresler won for the third time in a row the Rally Bohemia on the home ground of ŠKODA. After the fifth consecutive win in this year’s Czech Rally Championship (MČR) no competitor can catch the team from ŠKODA Motorsport in the championship standings any more. On his perfect “homerun” in front of thousands of enthusiastic ŠKODA employees and rally fans, Kopecký scored seven best times and achieved a dominate win by more than one minute.
For the eighth time in a row in 2017 a ŠKODA FABIA R5 team won a round of the World Rally Championship. At Rally Poland, current Asia Pacific Rally Championship leaders Ole Christian Veiby / Stig Rune Skjaermœn, driving a Printsport entered ŠKODA FABIA R5, achieved their first win on World Rally Championship level. After already winning four WRC2 events this season ŠKODA Motorsport’s Pontus Tidemand and co-driver Jonas Andersson came second. With a WRC2 championship lead of 50 points they are now in best position to win this year’s title.
