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2009 Skoda 2nd @ Rally Azores Review

May 2009
Filed under: SKODA Car News | SKODA Headlines

View this 2009 Skoda 2nd @ Rally Azores Wallpaper Picture

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The Ã… koda Motorsport factory team of Jan Kopecký and Petr Starý finished second in last weekends Azores Rally, in just their second appearance in the International Rally Challenge (IRC).

After a successful debut at the Monte Carlo Rally in January, Kopecký, usually considered a tarmac specialist, took to the Azores gravel easily, posting competitive times right from the beginning of the rally in his Fabia Super 2000. Kopecký and Starý were ranked third at the end of day one, 10.4 seconds behind second-placed Nicolas Vouilloz and Nicoals Klinger.

On Saturday, Kopecký started the stage series by chasing down Nicolas Vouilloz, eventually claiming second place and keeping that position right through to the end of the event.

Speaking after the race, Kopecký said: “The Sata Azores Rally was definitely one of the most difficult competitions I have ever taken part in. The stages were a great challenge and the weather was unexpectedly bad right from the morning of the last day.

“On the other hand, I felt from the beginning that I could rely on my car and fight really hard in all of the speed trials, and I believe that Petr and I showed quite clearly that by fighting through to second place and keeping that position. For our crew and, in particular, for the whole Ã… koda Motorsport team, this achievement is a great reward for the hard work we've done so far.

The Azores Rally was Ã… koda Motorsport's first competition test on gravel, a surface usually dominated by Ã… kodas other driver, Finland's Juho Hänninen. Hänninen started the rally well, winning the very first stage on Friday. Unfortunately, he then damaged the Fabias right rear suspension, costing him more than 11 minutes.

After repairs, the Finn achieved some excellent times, but his hopes for a good result expired completely after a crash in Stage 10. The crew came through unscathed and the Ã… koda mechanics did a great job to get the car back on the starting line on Saturday. The crew didnt gain any points for Ã… koda, but did at least win four of Saturday's stages.

Hänninen was upbeat after the race. “The Azores Rally was my first gravel competition in the Fabia Super 2000, he said. “Though things didn't go the way I hoped, I have the best possible feeling because there is basically no problem with the car and I just have to go on getting used to it in order to avoid mistakes like those I made here in the Azores. I wish to thank the entire team for a fantastic job they did in repairing my car and hope that I will soon pay my debt to them with some good results.

Head of the Ã… koda Motorsport team Michal Hrabánek said: “In a way, the whole team considered the Azores Rally on the par with the Monte Carlo premiere in January, because this was our first compeition on gravel and also the team's first appearance in the Azores islands. I think we showed already in Monte Carlo that the development of the Fabia Super 2000 is a success story and I believe that Jan Kopecký's runner-up position today confirms that the Fabia is a fast and reliable car.

“Furthermore, the growing interest in the Fabia rally car on the customer sales side is certainly good news " I am certain that today's result has clearly showed that we are able to compete with the best and that we can set the highest possible ambitions for the future.

“I wish to thank the Kopecký-Starý crew for putting in an excellent performance and the entire team for smooth coordination and hard work. As far as our further racing agenda is concerned, we are now going to conduct an internal analysis of the Azores Rally and then decide how we will proceed in the near future.

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