Kopecký and ŠKODA Motorsport lead WRC 2 in Rally France; team-mate Veiby third
Bastia (Corsica), April 7: ŠKODA factory team of Jan Kopecký and co-driver Pavel Dresler (CZE/CZE) took the lead in the WRC 2 category at Rally France / Tour de Corse after the first Special Stage and defended it up to the finish of Leg One, here on Friday in the fourth round of the FIA World Rally Championship. Their young Norwegian teammates Ole Christian Veiby and Stig Rune Skjaermoen lost some time with two spins, but nevertheless defended third position.
On the opening stage of the Rally France on Friday, the crews had to face nearly 50 Kms with endless corners and virtually no straights between La Porta and Valle de Rostino in the northeast of Corsica. Heavy rainfall on Wednesday before the rally had put all kinds of dirt on the tarmac roads and in some corners water puddles made the road conditions unpredictable.
“The first stage was very good for us, but it was very tricky as well. There was some running water on the road, which was not there when we made our pace notes. As we are not allowed to have gravel crews who check the roads before we are driving, the roads are a bit unpredictable in some corners. So I took a cautious approach,” confessed Kopecký. The ŠKODA factory driver was nevertheless fastest on the opening special stage, which put him into the lead after the morning loop.
While their competitors had technical issues or went off the road, both ŠKODA works teams where happy with their ŠKODA FABIA R5, which were reliable as always. “I had a spin in a hairpin in the first stage. On some places, there was a lot of mud and water, the grip changed all the time. So I decided to be careful,” said young Veiby, who was in third position of the WRC 2 category.
After the service at midday, the afternoon saw the repetition of the two morning stages. Kopecký set another fastest time, increased his lead and after the four Friday stages, was quite happy with his performance: “It was much better this afternoon, the roads were drier and I could push a lot more.” Veiby had another spin, but could nevertheless defend his third position after the first leg on Friday.
ŠKODA Motorsport boss Michal Hrabánek was satisfied with the first day: “This is really a tough test for men and machine on winding asphalt roads. I am happy that our updated ŠKODA FABIA R5 was reliable and fast like our drivers. Jan proved again his pure speed on tarmac and OC is learning with every kilometre here in Corsica,” said Hrabánek.
Saturday will feature the longest leg of the rally. The crews have to face six Special Stages covering more than 136 Kms.
Standings Rally Corsica after Day 1 (WRC 2):
- Kopecký / Dresler (CZE/CZE), ŠKODA FABIA R5, 01hrs, 24mins, 07.0secs; 2. Bonato / Boulloud, (FRA/FRA), Citroën C3 R5, +20.8 sec; 3. Veiby / Skjaermoen (NOR/NOR), ŠKODA FABIA R5, +1:07.9 min; 4. Lefebvre / Moreau, (FRA/FRA), Citroën C3 R5, +1:10.4 min; 5. Loubet / Landais (FRA/FRA), Hyundai i20, +1:17.3 min; 6. Andolfi / Scattolin (ITA/ITA), ŠKODA FABIA R5, +1:25.7 min.
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