› The Agrotec Škoda Rally Team crew of Jan Kopecký and co-driver Jiří Hovorka leads sixth round of the FIA European Championship from second stage until the finish.
› Italian pairing Andrea Mabellini/Virginia Lenzi (Škoda Fabia RS Rally2) finishes third while ERC overall leader Mikołaj Marczyk takes points for seventh position.
› Six Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 crews finish among the top 10.
Mladá Boleslav, 18 August 2025 – The sixth round of the FIA European Rally Championship (ERC) saw a demonstration of masterclass from Jan Kopecký. Sharing a Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 with co-driver Jiří Hovorka, he won Barum Czech Rally Zlín for the 12th time. Italian Andrea Mabellini also earned prize money out of the Škoda Motorsport Bonus Programme by finishing third. Meanwhile, Polish Škoda driver Mikołaj Marczyk defended his lead in the ERC overall standings.
Škoda crews led Barum Czech Rally Zlín from start to finish. On Friday evening, the fastest time on the opening test in the city centre of Zlín was recorded by Italian crew Andrea Mabellini/Virginia Lenzi. Jan Kopecký and co-driver Jiří Hovorka of Agrotec Škoda Rally Team took the top position on Saturday morning and held onto it until the finish on Sunday afternoon. “The Barum Rally is in my heart,” commented Jan Kopecký after his career twelfth victory at the Czech ERC round. Andrea Mabellini/Virginia Lenzi eventually finished third, reducing Andrea Mabellini's gap to the ERC overall leader, Mikołaj Marczyk (Škoda Fabia RS Rally2), to just eleven points.
Meanwhile, other Škoda crews were not so fortunate. Romanians Simone Tempestini/Sergiu Itu and their Team MRF Tyres colleagues Miklós Csomós/Krisztián Kertész from Hungary were out already after the second stage. Dominik Stříteský of Auto Podbabská Škoda PSG ACCR Team set the fastest time in shakedown. In the third stage, last year’s winner and new co-driver Ladislav Kučera overshot a chicane, hit the kerbs and collected three punctures. They had to park their Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 due to a lack of spare tyres. The Czech pairing restarted under super rally regulations on Sunday, but did not make it to the finish.
On Saturday evening, Jan Kopecký/Jiří Hovorka were leading Jon Armstrong/Shane Byrne from Ireland by 6.5 seconds. Andrea Mabellini/Virginia Lenzi followed a further 6.5 seconds behind. Six stages covering around 100 kilometres – including two runs over the infamous “Pindula” test – saw a thrilling finale on Sunday. Jan Kopecký/Jiří Hovorka delivered a performance, securing victory with a margin of 10.7 seconds over Jon Armstrong and Shane Byrne.
Only 3.1 seconds behind Jon Armstrong/Shane Byrne, Andrea Mabellini/Virginia Lenzi secured third place overall and five extra championship points for winning the power stage. “It’s incredible to be fighting with Mister Barum Jan Kopecký, I am really happy,” Andrea Mabellini emphasised. In total, six Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 crews finished inside the top 10.
With 26 points from the Czech ERC round, Andrea Mabellini narrowed the gap to overall leader Mikołaj Marczyk to eleven points. The Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 driver from Poland, navigated as usual by Szymon Gospodarczyk, was not entirely satisfied with his performance over the weekend. “Some stages were good, but I was not consistent enough – I can do better,” commented Mikołaj Marczyk on their seventh position. He still leads the FIA European Rally Championship overall, though.
However, a closer look at the results reveals a more complex story. Mikołaj Marczyk and Andrea Mabellini both have already collected points across six out of a maximum of seven events. However, as only the six best results count, each driver must deduct one drop result from their score. Andrea Mabellini did not finish Rally Hungary, so his drop result is a plain 0. As of today, Mikołaj Marczyk would lose 13 points from the Royal Rally of Scandinavia. In other words: With only two ERC rounds remaining, the two Škoda drivers are almost level.
The next round takes the FIA European Rally Championship contenders to Wales: The JDS Machinery Rali Ceredigion is scheduled for 5 to 7 September 2025.
The Barum Czech Rally Zlín also counted towards the Škoda Motorsport Bonus Programme rewards. In each round of the 2025 ERC, 21 Škoda drivers from 17 teams compete for a total of €40,000 worth of vouchers for spare parts. Škoda Motorsport awards €20,000, €12,000 and €8,000 worth of vouchers to the top three finishers in each rally, provided they are driving a Škoda and the team is registered in the Škoda Motorsport Bonus Programme. These vouchers can be redeemed for spare parts ordered directly from Škoda Motorsport. If a registered Škoda driver wins the ERC title at the end of the season, their team will receive a €50,000 discount on the purchase of a new Škoda Fabia RS Rally2. Second place is rewarded with a €25,000 voucher and third place with a €15,000 voucher, both towards the purchase of a new Škoda Fabia RS Rally2.
Eight different Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 drivers have stood on the podium in the six ERC rounds that have already taken place. Seven of them have reaped the programme’s rewards: Nikolay Gryazin, Mikołaj Marczyk, José Antonio Suárez, Isak Reiersen, Giandomenico Basso, Andrea Mabellini and Jan Kopecký. Mikołaj Marczyk’s success until Barum Czech Rally Zlín – a second place in Poland, third positions in Hungary and Rome – is worth €28,000 of bonus money in form of vouchers.
Number of the rally: 12
Jan Kopecký secured his twelfth win at Barum Czech Rally Zlín.
Barum Czech Rally Zlín (CZE), 15-17 August 2025, Result
1 Jan Kopecký/Jiří Hovorka (CZE/CZE), Škoda Fabia RS Rally2, 2:00:49.3 hours
2 Jon Armstrong/Shane Byrne (IRL/IRL), Ford Fiesta Rally2, +10.7 seconds
3 Andrea Mabellini/Virginia Lenzi (ITA/ITA), Škoda Fabia RS Rally2, +13.8 seconds
4 Simon Wagner/Hanna Ostlender (AUT/DEU), Hyundai i20 N Rally2, +30.3 seconds
5 Erik Cais/Daniel Trunkát (CZE/CZE), Hyundai i20 N Rally2, +59.3 seconds
6 Filip Mareš/Radovan Bucha (CZE/CZE), Toyota GR Yaris Rally2, +1:04.1 minutes
7 Mikołaj Marczyk/Szymon Gospodarczyk (POL/POL), Škoda Fabia RS Rally2, +1:08.0 minutes
8 Adam Březík/Ondřej Krajča (CZE/CZE), Škoda Fabia RS Rally2, +1:23.8 minutes
Standings ERC Drivers (after six of eight events)
1 Mikołaj Marczyk (POL), Škoda, 122 points
2 Andrea Mabellini (ITA), Škoda, 111 points
3 Jon Armstong (GBR), Ford, 81 points
4 Mads Østberg (NOR), Citroën, 76 points
5 Roope Korhonen (FIN), Toyota 60 points
6 Isak Reiersen (SWE), Škoda, 60 points
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