A milestone for the Skoda brand: The FIA World Automobile Federation, as the highest authority in motorsport, gave the green light to the new Skoda Fabia R5 . After successful homologation, the new rally special can continue the brand's successful 114-year motorsport history on tracks around the world. The Fabia R5 is based on the new Skoda Fabia production car and is the successor to the Fabia S2000 , which went down in Skoda Motorsport history as the most successful competition car of all time.
" We are delighted to be approved by the FIA World Automobile Federation. Now we can demonstrate the quality of our new rally special in competitions, " says Dr. Frank Welsch , Skoda Auto board member responsible for technical development. " When developing our third-generation Fabia, which has been so successfully introduced, we have taken some of the genes from our competition cars and developed the most emotional Fabia ever. Now, on the other hand, the serial model served as the basis for the new Fabia R5 car. "
The new Skoda rally special is a top car. According to FIA regulations , the Skoda Fabia R5 is equipped with a 1.6 liter turbo engine. This is a significant change from the Fabia S2000's two-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine. In addition, the new all-wheel drive car will have a sequential five-speed gearbox and McPherson struts. The weight is, as stipulated by the regulations, a minimum of 1,230 kg. Since the start of the project, the Skoda Motorsport team has invested 15 months of intensive development work in precise settings and the optimal interplay of highly modern components.
The homologation process is a long-term and complex procedure that requires close cooperation with the World Automobile Federation FIA and has several parts. The new Skoda Fabia R5 car had to undergo an extensive acceptance process in recent months, which has now been successfully concluded with approval from the FIA.
" We are happy to have homologation from the World Automobile Federation FIA in our pocket, " says Skoda Motorsport director Michal Hrabánek . " The development of our new hope for rallying was a demanding process and also a great challenge for the entire Skoda Motorsport team, to whom I would like to express my great thanks. "
Top drivers such as Asia-Pacific champion Jan Kopecký (CZ), European champion Esapekka Lappi (FIN), rally legend "Fast" Freddy Loix (B) and multiple Austrian champion Raimund Baumschlager contributed important insights into the development of the new rally special. In total, about 10,000 test kilometers were driven for homologation on various surfaces, including in the Czech Republic, Austria, Germany, Italy, France, Greece, Spain and Finland. Whether in icy cold or sunny weather, on asphalt, gravel or snow – Skoda Fabia R5 passed all tests successfully.
The interest of customer teams in the new Skoda Fabia R5 car is already great. It is not surprising, because its predecessor Skoda Fabia S2000 was a guarantee of the title. Last season in the 2014 rally, Skoda won a hat-trick of titles in the Asia-Pacific Championship (APRC) with the Fabia S2000, in addition to the third consecutive victory by a Skoda factory driver in the FIA European Rally Championship (ERC). Last year's list of achievements also includes five national championship titles. With a total of almost 50 international and national titles in six years, the Skoda Fabia S2000, which first started in 2009, is the most successful project in the company's 114-year motorsport history.
Director of Skoda Motorsport Michal Hrabánek: " With the new Skoda Fabia R5, we want to build on the success of recent years on rally tracks around the world thanks to speed and reliability. After the successful homologation, we can now start the next phase of the Fabia R5 project. "
Source: Skoda Motorsport
