Skoda celebrated its successful 2017 season and announced that it will field its youngest squad ever in WRC2 in 2018. Kalle Rovanperä becomes a part of the team and he is only 17-years-old. He already debuted in the category and even won in Australia.
2017 was the most successful motorsport season for Skoda in its 116 years long history. The team honoured its crews at a ceremony in Mladá Boleslav, while presenting next year’s squad.
“2017 will go down in Skoda’s history as the most successful year in motorsport and business ever. This is a huge achievement for our team, which the whole company can be proud of”, said Bernhard Maier, Skoda Auto CEO. “Motorsport has been part of the brand’s DNA for 116 years. We are going to continue this tradition in the future.”
Not only in the FIA World Rally Championship, in numerous international and national championships as well the Fabia R5 drove from victory to victory during the 2017 season. This car by far was the most successful rally car of the so-called R5 category of close to standard cars.
Pontus Tidemand and Jonas Andersson won the WRC2, while Jan Kopecký and Pavel Dresler triumphed in the Czech championship. Amongst the international and national championships won in 2017 by Skoda teams the Asia-Pacific Rally Championship (APRC) stands out. Factory supported team MRF Skoda entered defending champions Gaurav Gill/Stéphane Prévot (IND/BEL) and Norwegian Youngsters Ole Christian Veiby/Stig Rune Skjærmoen into the championship run in New Zealand, Australia, Japan, Malaysia and India. As in 2016 MRF Skoda took top two positions, Gill driving the FabiaR5 to a title hat-trick with Veiby finishing second.
In the Czech Championship Kopecký/ Dresler won each rally they entered. Furthermore, private Skoda teams won titles in additional 13 countries.
Skoda celebrated its successful 2017 season and announced that it will field its youngest squad ever in WRC2 in 2018. Kalle Rovanperä becomes a part of the team and he is only 17-years-old
The success of the factory team boosts the interest of the customers. More than 170 Fabia R5 cars were sold so far to importers and privateer teams worldwide.
Skoda Motorsport Director Chef Michal Hrabánek was already looking ahead to 2018. “We are happy to keep Pontus Tidemand and Jan Kopecký in the team. Our youngsters Ole Christian Veiby and Juuso Nordgren already proved their talent. A new and equally talented addition to our team is 17 years old Kalle Rovanperä. We are really looking forward to the World Rally Championship 2018”, said Hrabánek.
The FIA World Rally Championship 2018 kicks off with traditional season-opening Monte Carlo Rally.
Happy to announce that we’re going to be driving for @MotorsportSkoda! Bring on 2018! ? pic.twitter.com/b4exffI9Cw
— Kalle Rovanpera (@KalleRovanpera) December 12, 2017
