"It is of course our main goal to successfully defend this title for the SKODA brand. This is an absolute priority," says Kopecký . Skoda is currently 67 points ahead of the brand in second place. Even if it was still at least 40 after Rally Hokkaido , the team cannot be pushed out of first place. At the same time, Jan Kopecký is also fighting for a prestigious victory among drivers in the APRC against his teammate Gill.
Both drivers have two wins to their name in the APRC this season: Indian Gill with co-driver Glenn Macneall last time triumphed in Malaysia and the opening rally in New Zealand. In his first season in the APRC, the European champion Kopecký was unbeatable in the New Caledonia and Australia rallies with his co-driver Pavel Dresler. The 32-year-old Skoda factory driver enters Rally Hokkaido with an eight-point lead over Gill in the overall classification.
"It will be a very sharp fight again. Gaurav has the advantage of knowing most of the special stages in Japan since last year. But of course I won't give in," says Kopecký. The land of the rising sun is not an unknown area for the Czech car manufacturer. This was true in the past, just as it is true today. Already between 1908 and 1914, cars from Laurin & Klement , the predecessor of the Skoda brand, were sold in Japan. One model was even given to the imperial family , another was driven by the mayor of Tokyo. A century later, the Gaurav Gill/Glenn Macneall crew won the only international rally in Japan last year on their way to the Continental Championship title.
"Of course I would like to win this year as well. It would also be a big step towards defending the riding title. But it won't be easy, because Jan Kopecký learns very quickly even at competitions that are new to him" , Gill praises him. At Rally Hokkaido, 222.28 km on 18 special stages await the riders. Spectator interest is huge: during last year's Skoda triumph, they counted 68,000 fans around the track.
An important image factor is the current successful Fabia S2000 model. Veteran Belgian driver "Fast" Freddy Loix , who won the European Rally Championship in his home country in June, clinched the Belgian championship. This is the third national title for the Skoda Fabia S2000 this year. Before that, the championship was won in Portugal by Pedro Meireles , supported by Skoda Portugal. In addition, the very experienced Raimund Baumschlager secured his twelfth rally championship in Austria with the Fabia S2000. In the APRC and in the ERC, where Skoda factory driver Esapekka Lappi leads, more titles can be added.
Source: Skoda Motorsport
