Tidemand eyeing repeat win in Argentina and take WRC 2 championship lead
Mladá Boleslav, 24 April 2018: With a repetition of their last year’s win at the upcoming Rally Argentina (26 – 29 April), reigning WRC 2 Champions Pontus Tidemand and Jonas Andersson (SWE/SWE) could move into the championship lead again ahead of their SKODA Motorsport team-mates Jan Kopecký and Pavel Dresler (CZE/CZE) who won two of the four rounds so far.
Kalle Rovanperä, the 17-year old ŠKODA junior from Finland, is the youngest driver in the Rally Argentina entry list and together with co-driver Jonne Halttunen (FIN) proved his speed on the gravel tracks of the recent Rally Mexico. Norwegians Ole Christian Veiby and Stig Rune Skjaermœn, another duo of ŠKODA juniors, will contest Rally Argentina without being registered for WRC 2 championship points.
Rally Argentina, fifth round of the FIA World Rally Championship, will see ŠKODA Motorsport competing with Tidemand and Rovanperä. One year ago, Tidemand achieved a dominant win in Argentina for the Czech brand in the WRC 2 category.
On the other hand, Rovanperä and Veiby are newcomers to Rally Argentina. Veiby finished fourth at the recent Tour de Corse. In Argentina, he is not registered to score points for the WRC 2 championship.
ŠKODA Motorsport boss Michal Hrabánek says: “So far, the 2018 Motorsport season is running very well for ŠKODA. After winning in Monte Carlo, Mexico and Corsica we have a double lead in the WRC 2 championship standings. And the development program for our young drivers runs perfect as well. Kalle and OC have shown great performances on World Championship level.
“Juuso Nordgren made a good impression finishing on the podium with an excellent third place at the last round of the Czech Championship. We will see him during the 2018 season on selected events including some of WRC 2.”
A strong pillar of the ŠKODA motorsport programme is the activity with customer teams. The ŠKODA FABIA R5 is currently the most successful car in its category and will do its best to keep its position after getting a recent engine upgrade.
“We’re proud, that with no fewer than seven ŠKODA FABIA R5 in Argentina. We’re the strongest brand in WRC 2 and RC 2 category there. It absolutely proves that our strategy is working. With the presence of our works team we demonstrate the attractiveness and competitiveness of our rally car,” says Hrabánek.
In Argentina, around 360 Kms over 18 special stages, ranging from the Argentine prairie to altitudes of more than 2,000 metres, sandy tracks across flatlands and rutted mule trails high in the mountains, are waiting for the crews. Demanding tracks in the foothills of the Andes near Cordoba are quite similar to those of Rally Mexico.
The two ŠKODA FABIA R5, the one that carried Tidemand to victory in Mexico and Rovanperä’s car, were transported directly from Mexico to Cordoba. To a certain extent, they are already “acclimatised” to the Argentine environment.
The Rally Argentina starts on the evening of Thursday, 26 April, with a spectacular show stage close to the service park in Villa Carlos Paz. The winner is expected on the podium at the shores of Lake San Roque on Sunday, 29 April.
SKODA AUTO Press Release
