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Mladá Boleslav/Poreč, 27th September 2013 – ŠKODA rally driver Jan Kopecký and his co-driver Pavel Dresler have won the European Rally Championship* for ŠKODA with races to spare. Regardless of the outcome of the on-going Rally Croatia, at which the duo is currently in the lead at the end of day one, the Czech pair have already secured the titles in both the driver and co-driver competitions in the European Rally Championship (ERC).

Kopecký, driving a ŠKODA Fabia Super 2000, is the first Czech driver ever to win the European Rally Championship. "Winning the title is a dream come true for me. I would like to thank ŠKODA Motorsport and our fantastic team for the amazing work they have done this season," said Kopecký, who now holds an unassailable lead in the Drivers' Championship with two races to go.

After four second places in the International Rally Challenge (IRC) between 2009 and 2012, the European Championship title is the pinnacle of the 31-year-old driver's motorsport career. Kopecký joins a host of rally legends to have won the ERC, including Germany's Walter Röhrl and Italian Miki Biasion. Dresler is also certain of first place in the co-driver competition come the end of the season. "It is the icing on the cake at the end of a fantastic season in the ŠKODA and the highlight of my career," said Dresler.

Team Boss Michal Hrabánek also regards winning the European Championship title as an outstanding success for the entire SKODA Motorsport team: "With the ERC title for Jan Kopecký and Pavel Dresler, we have claimed another major success for the ŠKODA Fabia Super 2000 project. Our entire team has worked hard all year to achieve this goal. This is a wonderful reward for everyone involved. We have once again proven the quality of the Fabia Super 2000 and the technical expertise of ŠKODA."

Kopecký was one of the first to drive the prototype of the ŠKODA Fabia Super 2000 back in 2008, including outings as lead-off driver at the Barum Rally in the Czech Republic and at the Rally San Remo. Five years later, ŠKODA and its top driver can now enjoy the fruits of their labour. Kopecký first lined up for SKODA Motorsport in 2003, signed a contract to drive for the works team in 2008, and is now European Champion. Hrabánek: "I would like to congratulate both drivers from the bottom of my heart on the greatest success of their motorsport careers."

The title is the just reward for an outstanding season for Kopecký/Dresler in the ŠKODA Fabia Super 2000. The seven starts so far this season have produced seven podium finishes. The highlight for Kopecký came in the form of a home win at the Barum Rally early this September. 2013 also yielded victories at the ERC rallies in Austria, on the Canary Islands, in the Azores, and in Romania. As such, Kopecký has stood on the top step of the podium at rallies on all surfaces – from snow and ice to gravel and asphalt.

The 40th Rally Croatia consists of 239.12 kilometres over 14 special stages on infamously slippery asphalt. The headquarters for this weekend's anniversary edition of the rally are located in the tourist metropolis of Poreč on the Adriatic coast. Last year, Finnish driver Juho Hänninen – a ŠKODA works driver at the time – won en route to the ERC title.

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