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Mladá Boleslav, 12 May 2014 – Following the one-two at the opening rally of the season, the works-assisted ŠKODA MRF team now heads to the second round of the FIA Asia-Pacific Rally Championship (APRC) in New Caledonia full of confidence. Defending champions and APRC leaders Gaurav Gill/Glenn Macneall (IND/NZ) are hungry to repeat last year's victory, and thus to extend their lead in the overall standings. And European Champions Jan Kopecký/Pavel Dresler (CZ/CZ) also believe they have a good chance of securing their first win of the season, having finished runner-up at the opening round in New Zealand. The Rallye de Nouvelle-Calédonie will take place on 17 and 18 May. The event is a gravel rally, featuring 17 special stages and a total 235.78 kilometres against the clock.

"We are really looking forward to the rally and have fond memories of New Caledonia. We obviously want to repeat last year's win," said Gill. The experienced ŠKODA driver is actually looking for his third victory in a row in New Caledonia. However, he warns against underestimating the difficult conditions on the group of islands in the South Pacific, which belong to France: "The weather can play a vital role here, as conditions can change very quickly on the islands. The route can get very slippery if it rains."

Jan Kopecký is yet to gain his first experience of the unique conditions on the archipelago at the other end of the world. The 2013 European Champion and his co-driver Pavel Dresler finished an impressive second when New Zealand hosted the opening round of the APRC in April, pushing the more experienced Gill all the way. His goal for the second APRC is to continue on his learning curve.

"Every rally in the APRC is a challenge for us. However, we recently did well in New Zealand, which was uncharted territory for us. That makes me optimistic that we can also be among the front-runners in New Caledonia," said Kopecký. Both rally crews share the same goal of defending the title in the Manufacturers' Championship, which ŠKODA leads after its successful outing at the season-opener.

The starts in the APRC are of strategic importance to the Czech automobile manufacturer. The goal is to further raise awareness of the brand on international markets. ŠKODA aims to increase its global sales to at least 1.5 million units per year over the coming years, with particular emphasis on growth in the emerging Asian markets.

Did you know that ...

... the Rallye de Nouvelle-Calédonie was held for the first time in 1967? Back then, the event was known as the "New Caledonia Safari". The winner of the inaugural rally was Australian John Keran in a Volvo 122S.

... the Rallye de Nouvelle-Calédonie was first included in the FIA Asia-Pacific Rally Championship (APRC) in 1999? Since 2001, it has been a permanent fixture on the APRC calendar, although it had to be cancelled in 2003 due to heavy rain.

... ŠKODA has already triumphed on two occasions at the Rallye de Nouvelle-Calédonie? Gaurav Gill/Glenn Macneall (IND/NZ) won in a Fabia Super 2000 in 2012 and 2013.

... ŠKODA claimed a one-two in New Caledonia in 2012? Victorious duo Gill/Macneall were followed in second place by Chris Atkinson/Stéphane Prévot (AUS/B) in the second Fabia Super 2000, run by the ŠKODA MRF team. The Australian/Belgian pairing won the Drivers' and Co-Drivers' Championship in the APRC that year.

... New Caledonia is a group of islands in the South Pacific, which are owned by France? About 246,000 people live on the islands, which have a total area of 18,575 km².

... the New Caledonia Barrier Reef is the second-longest double-barrier reef in the world, after Australia's "Great Barrier Reef"? UNESCO named the coral reef a World Heritage Site in 2008.

... France was the eighth-largest sales market for the ŠKODA brand in 2013? Last year, the manufacturer supplied 20,400 vehicles to French customers.

The number for the Rallye de Nouvelle-Calédonie: 6

Six special stages had to be cancelled at last year's Rallye de Nouvelle-Calédonie due to heavy rainfall. After it was not possible to start the final stage on the opening day of two, only three of the scheduled eight special stages could be completed on the final day. This reduced the total distance of the rally to 174.72 kilometres.

The 2014 APRC calendar:

11–13 April: Rally of Whangarei – New Zealand
16–18 May: Rallye de Nouvelle-Calédonie – New Caledonia
20–22 June: Rally of Queensland – Australia
15–17 August: Malaysian Rally – Malaysia
26–28 September: Rally Hokkaido – Japan
7–9 November: China Rally – China

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