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Matigny, Switzerland, 9 November 2013 – The 'flying Finn' Esapekka Lappi has triumphed once again for ŠKODA in the FIA European Rally Championship (ERC) final in the Swiss Alps. Together with his co-driver Janne Ferm, the exceptionally talented driver scored a confident win with a substantial lead in the Rallye International du Valais, just six days after winning in China. It was the perfect finishing touch to a highly successful rally year for ŠKODA, the highlights of which were title wins in the ERC and the Asia Pacific Rally Championship (APRC).*

Having a winning driver in a winning Fabia S2000 was also the key to success for Esapekka Lappi in Switzerland. It took him 40 hours to travel to Switzerland after his success in the APRC final in China, but the 'flying Finn' showed absolutely no signs of exhaustion. "The past two weeks have been absolutely fantastic. This is my first big victory on asphalt, and I never expected this before the rally started. But I was in the flow and my rhythm was great. I'd like to say a big 'thank you' to the fantastic ŠKODA Motorsport team," said Lappi after his first win in an important asphalt rally.

The 22-year-old set out simply to gain some experience on asphalt – a surface that he is less familiar with – but in the end, he scored a commanding win in the 287.84-kilometre rally. The Valais record holder Olivier Burri (CH) finished in second place, 3m 28.2s behind Lappi. With the tracks proving to be slippery due to rain, Lappi was actually playing it safe on the final day of the event in the breathtaking mountains around the rally headquarters in Matigny – but achieved another two fastest times in the special stages nonetheless.

In the end, he was able to celebrate his second rally win in the ERC, following on from Poland last year, out of a total of just four starts so far in this championship for ŠKODA Motorsport. Lappi also has a second place under his belt this year, in the legendary Rallye Sanremo. ŠKODA was the dominant force in this year's European Rally Championship: Competing on eight occasions, Kopecký and Dresler won an impressive six times and made it onto the podium on both of the other occasions too. And their reward is the ERC title.*

There were also continental championship titles for the Czech automobile manufacturer, with Gaurav Gill of India winning the APRC and Gustavo Saba of Paraguay being crowned champion in South America's CODASUR event.* In addition, ŠKODA produced national champions with Raimund Baumschlager in Austria, Umberto Scandola in Italy, Dimitar Iliev in Bulgaria, Marouf Abu Samra in Jordan and Saba in Paraguay.

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