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Mladá Boleslav, 25 August 2014 – The ŠKODA drivers line up in first and second place in the championship, the two works Fabia Super 2000s will once again boast their stylish retro RS look, and action is guaranteed at the ŠKODA Motorsport Park: ŠKODA is looking forward to its home event at the Barum Czech Rally Zlín. Among those in action from Friday to Sunday at the highlight of the FIA European Rally Championship (ERC) season is defending champion Jan Kopecký (CZ), who will test the new turbo engine for the future Fabia R 5 rally car in competitive conditions.

"As at the Rally Bohemia, the ŠKODA works team's current car will take to the route in a livery based on the look of the 1974 RS. The enthusiastic reactions around our headquarters in Mladá Boleslav convinced us to once again recognise the 40th anniversary of this classy car, which was full of verve, with this special livery," says ŠKODA Motorsport Director Michal Hrabánek.

The ŠKODA 180 RS and ŠKODA 200 RS are regarded as the fathers of ŠKODA's successful RS history, which, from a motorsport perspective, was largely shaped by the legendary ŠKODA 130 RS in the 1970s and 1980s. Since 2000, the Czech manufacturer has continued this tradition with RS versions of production models. The highlight so far is the new ŠKODA Octavia RS – the fastest and most powerful production Octavia ever. The acronym RS stands for "Rally Sport".

A good 40 years after the RS made its first appearance, ŠKODA drivers Esapekka Lappi/Janne Ferm (FIN/FIN) and Sepp Wiegand/Frank Christian (D/D) now line up with the latest Fabia Super 2000 in the 1974 livery. Lappi comes into the eighth of eleven rounds of the continental rally championship leading the overall standings in the ERC with 118 points, followed by Wiegand (78).

"The Barum Rally is one of the most difficult on the calendar, with fast sections through the forests on narrow roads, and on the unique Czech asphalt. This demands 100 percent concentration every second," says Lappi. The Finn has already tasted success in the Fabia Super 2000 this year, winning the ERC events in Latvia and Northern Ireland.

His team-mate Sepp Wiegand has made two appearances on the ERC podium in 2014, finishing runner-up in Northern Ireland and third in Belgium. The German also has fond memories of the Barum Czech Rally Zlín, having finished fourth there last year on his first appearance for the works team. "It would be nice to repeat this success. However, the Barum is an extremely tricky rally, at which the local heroes traditionally play a major role. That doesn't scare us though." As well as Lappi and Wiegand, British driver Neil Simpson will also line up in a Fabia Super 2000, supported by ŠKODA UK.

The Barum Czech Rally Zlín gets underway on Friday morning with the 4.44-kilometre qualifying stage. This is followed on Friday evening by the opening stage through the centre of Zlín, which is traditionally watched by thousands of spectators. In total, ŠKODA's home rally consists of 15 special stages between Friday and Sunday, with 237.33 kilometres against the clock.

Away from the rally action, fans at the ŠKODA Motorsport Park in the centre of Zlín are also in for a treat. Entry is free from Friday to Sunday, and visitors can look forward to an exciting mix of sporting activities, entertainment, concerts and things to amuse the kids. The ŠKODA drivers will also be on hand to sign autographs from 16:00 on Friday, giving fans the opportunity to meet their idols in person.

They include European champion Jan Kopecký, who won ŠKODA's home rally for the third time last year in the Fabia Super 2000. This year, Kopecký is focussing on the Asia-Pacific Rally Championship (APRC). He is sitting pretty at the top of the overall standings after the fourth of six races, the "Malaysian Rally. He and co-driver Pavel Dresler (CZ) will test the turbo engine for the Fabia R 5 in the Fabia Super 2000 chassis at the Barum Rally. "I will not be competing officially, but the procedures will be the same as at any normal rally," says Kopecký.

Michal Hrabánek is looking forward to the next stage in the development of the new Fabia R 5. "We tested the R 5 engine successfully at the Rally Bohemia, and would like to thank the ERC and the organisers of the Barum Rally for giving us the opportunity to test the new engine again in competitive conditions." The homologation of ŠKODA's new rally car is planned for mid-2015 at the latest.

In the meantime, the current model, the Fabia Super 2000, has added another two chapters to its spectacular success story. Pedro Meireles/Mario Castro, who are supported by ŠKODA Portugal, have already secured their first title in the Portuguese Rally Championship with two rounds still to come. The experienced Raimund Baumschlager has also wrapped up his twelfth rally title in Austria in the Fabia Super 2000. Hrabánek: "Congratulations to the drivers and colleagues from Portugal and Austria. It is great to see that the successful Fabia Super 2000 project is continuing to bear fruit with its first two titles of 2014. We hope we can enjoy even more celebrations this year."

Did you know ...

... the Barum Czech Rally Zlín was first held in 1971? The winner of the inaugural event was Czech driver Jan Halmazňa. His car: obviously a ŠKODA, the 1100 MB model.

... the Barum Czech Rally Zlín has always been an important event for international drivers? The top drivers to have competed there include the likes of World Rally Champion Walter Röhrl (D). The winners' list features Norway's John Haugland (N, three times), Enrico Bertone (I, three times), Harald Demuth (D, twice) and Franz Wittmann (A, twice), among others.

... the Barum Czech Rally Zlín was first included in the Czechoslovakian Rally Championship in 1972? It also formed a round of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge for many years, and was actually a candidate for the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) in 2005. Since the merger with the IRC, the rally has formed part of the FIA European Rally Championship (ERC), as it did in 2013.

... on two occasions in the history of this iconic rally, one car has won five times in a row? In both cases it was a ŠKODA. Between 1976 and 1980, the winner was always at the wheel of a ŠKODA 130 RS. From 2009 up to and including 2013, the winning car was the ŠKODA Fabia Super 2000.

... the Barum Czech Rally Zlín was 1,200 kilometres long in 1974? This remains the longest distance in the history of this rally. For comparison: only 237.33 kilometres of special stage are scheduled this year.

... the longest special stage is Trojak, at 22.82 kilometres? The drivers tackle this stage twice on Saturday. After the 4.44-kilometre qualifying stage, the rally officially begins on Friday with the city stage in the centre of Zlín. The competitors must negotiate a total of 9.51 kilometres over three laps of a course lined with thousands of spectators.

... ŠKODA grew dramatically in the Czech Republic in the first half of 2014? ŠKODA recorded growth of 22.9 per cent in its home market in the first six months of the year, taking the total number of deliveries in that period to 34,800. 5,600 cars were sold in July – 22.5 per cent more than July 2013.

The number for the Barum Czech Rally Zlín: 5

For the last five years in a row, the Barum Czech Rally Zlín has been won by a driver in the successful ŠKODA Fabia Super 2000. Jan Kopecký was victorious in 2009, 2011 and 2013. In 2010 the rally was dominated by Belgian rally legend Freddy Loix. Juho Hänninen (FIN) won in the fast and reliable four-wheel drive car from Mladá Boleslav in 2012.

FIA European Rally Championship (ERC), Drivers' Championship standings after seven of eleven rounds:

1. Esapekka Lappi, 118 points; 2. Sepp Wiegand, 78; 3. Craig Breen, 70; 4. Vasily Gryazin, 53; 5. Kajetan Kajetanowicz, 48; 6. Robert Kubica, 39; 7. Ott Tänak, 38; 8. Kevin Abbring, 38; 9. Bernardo Sousa, 37; 10. Freddy Loix, 37; 11. Robert Consani, 37.

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