Mladá Boleslav, January 6, 2011 – A total of 10 Fabia Super 2000 will appear at the legendary Monte Carlo Rally. This is the opening event of the 2011 Intercontinental Rally Challenge (IRC), in which Skoda is going to be defending its titles in both the Manufacturers and Drivers competitions.
Skoda Motorsport (factory team) will appear with both of its successful crews – last year’s IRC winners Juho Hänninen & Mikko Markkula and the runners-up, Jan Kopecký and Petr Starý. Skoda Motorsport’s Fabia Super 2000 project has been receiving positive response from Skoda importers in many markets. As a result, the Monte Carlo Rally will see some big names drive a Fabia Super 2000, including the new member of Skoda UK Motorsport Andreas Mikkelsen, the 2008 IRC champion Nicolas Vouilloz, Freddy Loix (winner of three IRC races last year) and Mark Wallenwein of Skoda Auto Germany. A number of other Fabias Super 2000 are going to appear in the colours of private teams, and also want to fight for the best possible result in Monte Carlo, one of the world’s most challenging rally events.
The Skoda Motorsport team will introduce an update livery to Monte Carlo – the most striking element is the strong green shade that is so typical of the Skoda brand. In contrast with the design used over the past few years, the new green-and-white combination is “reverse”. The frontdoors will bear the logo “110 years of motorsport“, an anniversary that Skoda Motorsport is celebrating this year.
The Monte Carlo Rally starts on 19 January in the area around Valence, France and ends with night-time special stages in the mountains near Monte Carlo, in the small hours of 22 January. The drivers can look forward to a total of 13 special stages (337 competition kilometres) and over a thousand kilometres of road sections plus unpredictable weather, as usual at this time of the year.
