Kopecky races SKODA to victory in Corsica to retain WRC 2 championship lead

INDIAinF1 Desk April 9, 2018

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Kopecky (right) and Dressler celebrate their WRC 2 win in Corsica. Photo: SKODA AUTO

*Jan Kopecky (right) and Pavel Dressler celebrate their WRC 2 win in Corsica. Photo: SKODA AUTO*

Bastia, April 9: ŠKODA factory team Jan Kopecký and co-driver Pavel Dresler (CZE/CZE) achieved a dominant start-to-finish win in WRC 2 category at Rally France / Tour de Corse on Sunday while their young Norwegian team-mates Ole Christian Veiby and Stig Rune Skjaermœn came in fourth, missing the podium by just 1.8 seconds.

Veiby, who scripted two more fastest stage times, finished behind Italian ŠKODA privateer Fabio Andolfi (co-driver Simone Scattolin) while the French pair of Yoann Bonato and Benjamin Boullourd were placed second in a Citroen C3 R5.

The second from three legs of the fourth round of the FIA World Rally Championship on Saturday brought mixed emotions for the team members of ŠKODA Motorsport. While Kopecký with four stage wins stretched his WRC 2 lead to nearly one and a half minutes, Veiby moved up to second place after the second run through the longest stage of the day. But in the last test of the day, a malfunctioning gear link shift made the gearbox of his ŠKODA FABIA R5 stuck in first gear. Veiby lost more than two and a half minutes and as a result also second place.

Veiby’s rival, Bonato, was delayed by a false alarm of the GPS safety device in his car which forced him to stop on stage eight. Hours later, the stewards gave him a time compensation and the Frenchman moved back into second in WRC 2 category.

After his ŠKODA FABIA R5 had been successfully revised at the service on Saturday evening, at the restart on Sunday morning Veiby found himself in fourth position, more than 55 seconds behind Andolfi. The first of Sunday’s two stages was the gruelling 55.17 Kms test which reached the highest geographical point of the rally with an altitude of more than 885 metres above sea level. Since 1986, this also was the longest stage of the Tour de Corse. Veiby drove a fantastic stage time, beating Andolfi by impressive 47.7 seconds and closing the gap to a mere 7.9 seconds before the final Power Stage.

Kopecký meanwhile took a cautious approach. “I had a huge gap to the guys behind me. I avoided every stone on the road to just bring the car to the finish in one piece. We are happy, our ŠKODAFABIA R5 was working perfectly.”

On the last stage, the Czech champion even managed to defend eighth position in the overall classification. Veiby set the last fastest time in the WRC 2 category, but in the end missed the podium by just 1.8 seconds.

ŠKODA Motorsport boss Michal Hrabánek was delighted. “Our perfect season continues. Now we have a double lead in the WRC 2 category standings of the FIA World Rally Championship. Jan demonstrated that on asphalt he is the man to beat in WRC 2. And OC impressed me not only with his pure speed and fantastic stage times, but he also proved his great morale after his mishap during leg two and was very close to fight back into a podium position.”

Final Result Rally France / Tour de Corse (WRC 2):

Kopecký / Dresler (CZE/CZE), ŠKODA FABIA R5, 03hrs, 37mins, 27.5secs; 2. Bonato / Boulloud, (FRA/FRA), Citroën C3 R5, +1:51.2 sec; 3. Andolfi / Scattolin (ITA/ITA), ŠKODA FABIA R5, +3:08.5 min; 4. Veiby / Skjaermœn (NOR/NOR), ŠKODA FABIA R5, +3:10.3 min; 5. Pieniazek / Mazur (POL/POL), ŠKODA FABIA R5, +13:05.6 min.

Current championship standings WRC 2 (after four of 13 rounds):