Škoda Auto is one of the oldest car manufacturers still in operation, as its history dates back to 1895 and it has been producing cars since 1905. Its racing history is similarly long, for the first time, in the days of the Laurin & Klement brand, in 1901. Škoda is still active in motorsport, specifically in the field of rallying.
After the end of the Octavia WRC, Škoda focused on the smaller Fabia in the area of racing specials, which proved to be a more suitable tool in the rally disciplines. And over time it has become a very successful car, today’s evolution of the Fabia Rally2 evo is celebrating success around the world.
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Specifically, in 2020, Škoda private crews won 14 international, regional and national titles. In addition to winning national competitions in Bulgaria, Lithuania, Mexico, Slovakia and the USA, the Toksport WRT team’s victory in the WRC2 team rankings in the FIA 2020 World Rally Championship stands out.
Before this season, Škoda decided to support private individuals instead of the factory team, which is a strategy valid for 2021. Next year, Škoda Motorsport will not even race in the domestic rally championship. The long-standing factory driver of the Jan Kopecký brand will not perform in the colors of the factory team next year.
“The development of the 2020 season proves that we have done well. We decided to focus on customer teams and strengthen cooperation with them by offering even better services. Their success shows that our new customer strategy has paid off. ” Michal Hrabánek, head of Škoda Motorsport, explains this step. In terms of customer cars, Škoda is the most successful brand in the category.
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Replacement for Octavia WRC
This is a big difference compared to 2002, when the preparations for the first Fabia rally were first discussed. These were confirmed by the then Chairman of the Board of Directors of the carmaker Vratislav Kulhánek. At that time, Škoda was deploying a special Octavia WRC in the top category of the World Cup and did not intend to change anything in her engagement. Only the Octavia was to be replaced by the Fabia, which was more suitable for rallies due to its more compact dimensions. In addition, it better complied with the rules of the time.
The Škoda Fabia WRC finally presented itself to the world for the first time at the Geneva Motor Show in 2003, at a time when the big car show had a key role in the presentation of news. The car was created on the basis of the then Fabia RS, which had to produce 2,500 pieces to meet the homologation of the racing special.
Unlike the production car, however, the Fabia WRC used a two-liter, water-cooled supercharged four-cylinder petrol engine, tuned to 221 kW and 600 Nm, paired with a six-speed sequential transmission, transmitting power to all four wheels. three active differentials. McPherson struts were used at the front and rear (with lower triangular arms at the front, with two transverse and one longitudinal arm at the rear), and disc brakes on all four wheels took care of stopping. With regard to the rules, the initial Fabia RS was given a modified front bumper so that the length exceeded four meters.
At the time of the premiere, the car was already being tested in full. It was run on the Škoda and Volkswagen polygons, with information leaking to the surface about problems with the operation of the differentials and the search for the optimal shape of the rear wing. Not only the new factory number one Didier Auriol and two Toni Gardemeister took turns behind the wheel, but also test drivers Kenneth Eriksson and Matthias Kahle. Expectations were high, the head of Škoda Kulhánek announced that after the initial testing, the car will gradually fight for victory in the races and later even for the victory in the entire championship.
A short episode with a legend
The Fabia WRC was homologated in the summer of 2003thanks to that could be used at the then German rally. But she did not succeed there, as both Auriol and Gardemeister had to resign from the race. The French racer’s car was plagued by children’s illnesses, so due to technical defects it did not even reach the finish line of the first stage. In the second stage, the Finnish racer hit the curb with his right rear wheel and damaged his drive shaft.
Understandable childhood diseases, however, seem to indicate the next years of the car. Although the Fabia WRC looked beautiful, it never achieved any major success, the grand statements ended in frustration. After all, Fabia’s best result in the WRC was in the end only sixth place at the Finnish rally in 2004, which was taken by the home Jani Paasonen. Gradual adjustments did not help either. In 2005, the Fabia WRC evo II had to be homologated with a different front bumper and wing, a redesigned turbocharger, a new exhaust system or a better weight distribution.
However, it cannot be said that sometimes there is no sign of better results. For example, Roman Kresta took part in the seventh place at the German rally in 2004. Unfortunately, he damaged the suspension, which eventually eliminated him from the competition.
Among Czech fans, the participation of the famous Colin McRae is also famous, who really managed to squeeze the most out of the Fabia WRC. In his first race behind the wheel of the Fabia WRC at the 2005 Welsh Domestic Rally, he finished seventh, perhaps only due to the premature end of the competition, due to a fatal accident during the event. He could easily have done better as a result.
At the Australian rally of the same year, McRae even rode third, but the team fatally broke the routine change of clutch, so the flying Scot had to withdraw from the race prematurely. To this day, there are occasional discussions as to whether it was not on purpose for McRea not to beat Armin Schwarz, who has never been able to ride so famously with Fabia. But the truth is that such mistakes can simply happen during racing.
The Škoda Fabia WRC was eventually created in a total of 24 copies. Quite logically, her career ended with the arrival of the then newly introduced second generation of the serial Fabia.
Leaving the WRC was a good step
She also arrived at the rally scene when in 2007 it debuted in the Škoda Fabia S2000 variant, who entered the races for the first time two years later. The Mladá Boleslav factory team thus left the highest category of the World Rally Championship, but continued to participate in the international championship.
And very successfully, which was indicated by the first race. At the Monte Carlo Rally 2009, which was part of the then IRC series, Juho Hänninen led before, unfortunately, crashed. However, his teammate, Jan Kopecký, was able to represent him very well, as he finished fourth overall. By the way, a certain Sebastien Ogier was happy with the victory at the time, who then made his debut with the Peugeot 207 S2000 in the IRC series.
Other successes followed in quick succession. Already in 2010, Škoda won the entire IRC Championship and its driver Juho Hänninen won among the drivers. In addition, Jan Kopecký followed in second place. Škoda also won among the brands in the next two years, but instead of Hänninen, Andreas Mikkelsen was happy with the victory among the drivers.
Fabia S2000 added other prizes in national competitions. In total, between 2009 and 2014, riders with this special achieved a total of 50 national and international titles worldwide.
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An even more successful successor
It is therefore not surprising that in 2015 a new special appeared, again adapted to contemporary rules. The S2000 category has been replaced by the R5 class, after which the novelty was named Fabia R5 (later Fabia Rallye2). It was then logically built on the foundations of the third generation Fabia.
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Again, it was a car not the highest category of the rally championship. It is therefore a simpler, and therefore cheaper special, which, however, can be more widespread than the WRC top specification.
In addition to the appearance itself, of course, the technique in the bowels has also changed. The change of the propulsion system was forced by changes in the technical rules. The two-liter atmosphere was therefore replaced by a supercharged 16-liter petrol engine, which was also paired with a five-stage sequence. However, the power remained around 206 kW.
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The Škoda Fabia R5 celebrated its world racing premiere at the domestic Rally Šumava Klatovy 2015, which was the 50th anniversary of this event. She then made her debut at the World Rally Championship in the same year. At the same time, she successfully followed up on her predecessor and even surpassed him. Today, it is today the most successful racing special in the history of Škoda Motorsport. Riders in the colors of the factory team won the title of world champion in his category four times in a row – Esapekka Lappi in 2016, Pontus Tidemand in 2017, Jan Kopecký in 2018 and Kalle Rovanperä in 2019.
Gradual innovations
In this case, too, Škoda is gradually innovating its special. In 2019, the Fabia R5 evo followed, recognizable by the external appearance taken from the then modernized initial production Fabia. In addition, the most important parts of the car were modified at that time, which will improve its overall performance.
The engine was equipped with an electric water pump, a more efficient cooling system or a turbo with an electronically controlled bypass valve. The power of the supercharged 16-year-old thus jumped to 212 kW, the torque with a maximum of 425 Nm has a more suitable course. The transmission of the transmission has also been adapted to this, while the body structure is stronger, with a new protective frame according to the latest regulations.
Although the beginnings of the racing Fabia were not exactly rosy and the Fabia WRC did not achieve any major successes, today’s Fabia Rally2 is a very successful and popular car. After all, 372 Fabia R5 competition cars have been sold to customers from all over the world so far, winning 1,255 competitions and reaching 2,948 podium finishes. Although none of them will race in factory colors next year, it is clear that in 2021 some more winnings will come in private teams.
The latest evolution
Škoda has prepared another evolution of the car for the 2021 season to make it even better. Aces such as Jan Kopecký, Kris Meeke, Pontus Tidemand and Andreas Mikkelsen helped with the development. The supercharged 16-hundred has undergone a new mapping and redesigned compressed air cooler, as well as a modified exhaust manifold. Thanks to this, the power could slightly increase by two kilowatts to 214 kW.
In addition, there is a new set of gears increasing the maximum speed from 187 to 202 km / h, which can be useful in faster races. The new specification of ZF shock absorbers, in turn, will improve traction on asphalt and gravel. Massive rear axles or a redesigned engine lubrication system then improve reliability, while the steering wheel with newly arranged buttons improves the comfort of the racer.
In addition, the fourth generation of Fabia is just around the corner and we will only hope that its rally variant will also come and build on the success of its predecessor. Do you hope too?
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