Rallye Monte-Carlo: Škoda Motorsport celebrates 125 year anniversary at WRC season opener

› On Saturday, 24 January, a Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 will give VIP guests a ride on parts of the famous Monaco Grand Prix Formula One racetrack
› All-electric concept Škoda Enyaq RS Race will entertain the spectators with demo drives on closed roads of the Principality
› Ten Škoda crews compete for WRC2 points at the first round of the 2026 FIA World Rally Championship

Mladá Boleslav, 21 January 2026 – Škoda Motorsport is set to kick off the 2026 FIA World Rally Championship season in style: The celebrations marking 125 years of the brand's racing activities will form part of the Rallye Monte-Carlo (22-25 January). Prior to the Super Special Stage on Saturday evening, former WRC2 champion Andreas Mikkelsen will give VIP passengers a first-hand experience of the Škoda Fabia RS Rally2. Multiple Czech rally champion and former WRC2 champion Jan Kopecký will join the demo runs on part of the Formula One circuit at the wheel of the electric concept Škoda Enyaq RS Race. During the rally itself, ten private Škoda crews will compete for WRC2 honours.

Jan Kopecký and Andreas Mikkelsen have a lot in common. For example, they both won the WRC2 category at Rallye Monte-Carlo on their way to becoming world champions in the WRC's main support category. However, neither the Czech nor the Norwegian will be travelling to the Principality to compete in the traditional season opener this January. Instead, both will play a major role in the first stage of the “125 Years Škoda Motorsport” celebrations.

The former Škoda factory drivers will hit the roads around the famous casino for demo drives just ahead of the Super Special Stage “Monaco Circuit” on Saturday evening (24 January, 6h35 pm). Andreas Mikkelsen will give VIP passengers a spin at the wheel of a Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 while Jan Kopecký will entertain the spectators with the Škoda Enyaq RS Race, a fully electric concept car developed by Škoda Motorsport.

By the time the competitors arrive in Monte-Carlo for the Super Special Stage, they will already have most of the event behind them. The first round of the 2026 FIA World Rally Championship starts on Thursday (22 January) at 2:30 pm in the harbour area of the Principality. On the way to the overnight stop in the French Alps town of Gap, the crews must complete three special stages, mostly in the dark. Friday features six stages. Saturday's leg comprises four stages, including the Super Special on part of the famous Formula One racetrack, which will be broadcast live. The final leg on Sunday features another four stages. In total, the teams have to tackle a competitive distance of 339.15 kilometres.

Ten Škoda crews have entered into WRC2. “Last year, we finished fifth. A WRC2 podium position would be a dream result, but the competition is really strong,” says Roberto Daprà. The 24-year-old Italian shares a Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 with co-driver Luca Guglielmetti. Among their brand colleagues are French pairing Eric Camilli/Thibault de La Haye, Czech driver Filip Kohn, who listens to the pace notes of British navigator Ross Whittock, and Jarosław Kołtun/Ireneusz Pleskot from Poland.

All the Škoda crews and their competitors are facing a Rallye Monte-Carlo-specific question: tyre choice. While the start and finish are located on the mostly sunny Mediterranean coast, the majority of the stages are held on wintry roads in the French Alps. The unpredictable mountain weather usually brings a mixture of snow-covered, icy and dry roads, sometimes all within the same stage.

In addition, crews must complete up to three special stages without a service break, relying on the four tyres fitted to the car plus a maximum of two spares. They must strike a balance between winter grip and tarmac traction. Therefore, the tyre choice is usually a compromise, making the task for the drivers even more difficult. Available are four different types of tyres: two compounds of slicks as well as winter tyres with and without studs.

More information about the history of Škoda Motorsport can be found here.

Did you know, that...

...the Rallye Monte-Carlo was first held in 1911 and is the oldest event on the current FIA World Rally Championship calendar?
...the rally was originally conceived to boost tourism in Monaco even in the less attractive winter months?
...up to and including 1998, crews had to drive thousands of kilometres from starting points across Europe and even North Africa to a central meeting point in Monte-Carlo or the south of France, where the real competition began?

2026 FIA World Rally Championship

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