MOTORSPORT
THIRD DOUBLE
WIN OF THE
SEASON
KALLE ROVANPERÄ TRIUMPHS AT BRITISH
RALLY IN WALES IN START-FINISH STYLE
K
CLASSICS
SHINE IN CHINA
CHINESE CUSTOMERS APPRECIATE ŠKODA’S RICH HISTORY AND
TRADITION SETTING IT APART FROM COMPETITION
C
urrently, over 140 automotive
brands are operating in China,
and local manufacturers’ competitiveness is steadily growing. One of
the options to stand out in this dynamic market and set one brand apart from
others is to actively present the long
history and tradition that the carmaker
draws on when designing new models.
Opportunities to showcase the brand include the well-known classics rallies organised by local editorial teams of the
Auto Bild and Auto motor and sport
magazines in the autumn. Although the
import and export of classics is highly
restricted, even here you will find enthusiastic owners and fans of automotive
history. Visitor numbers at these events
are rising every year, and so too is media attention. So far, ŠKODA has been
represented at every single one of the
classics rallies and is planning to keep
up the trend.
Three awards for the ŠKODA brand
The traditional Great Wall & Yanqi Island Concours d’Elegance classics rally in Beijing is the most famous
16
ŠKODA MOBIL OCTOBER 2018
motorsports event in China. This year,
the carmaker competed against more
than 10 brands and 50 beautiful old-timers with the FELICIA (1960), ŠKODA
422 (1930) and OCTAVIA (1961). Excellent performances by their crews were
recognised with three awards: Best PreWar Classic Car, Best Swinging Sixties
Familiale and Kaizen Racing RT Challenge No.1.
Running from 25 to 29 September, the rally attracted crowds of fans.
It started on Yanqi Island, continued
through the picturesque countryside
along the Great Wall of China and finished on 29 September at the spectacular Reignwood holiday resort.
The key speaker at the press conference before the start of the rally was
Dr. Ralf Hanschen, President of ŠKODA
China. “ŠKODA AUTO is one of the
world’s oldest carmakers. We are very
proud of the brand’s inventive spirit and
history. This staple of an event presents
an excellent opportunity for us to share
a unique automobile culture and heritage with customers and motorsport
fans during the traditional mid-autumn
festival and showcase the strength of
the ŠKODA brand”, said Dr. Hanschen.
History revived
In September, ŠKODA cars also received accolades at the Top City Classic Rally in Shanghai. This time, two
classics, the FELICIA (1960) and the
OCTAVIA COMBI (1962), competed in
the old-timers’ race, which took place
between 14 and 16 September. Both cars
received well-deserved attention among
the 40 classics models of more than 10
brands. The classics set off from the
city of Wuzhen and headed towards the
Qiandao Lake in the Zhejiang province,
as excited fans were cheering on them
along the track. The Historical Revival
award was presented to the OCTAVIA
COMBI, which had its premiere in China. On this occasion, ŠKODA AUTO
presented to the press and prospective
customers not only the new OCTAVIA
COMBI, which was launched in the local market about a year ago, but also
the brand’s long-standing tradition of
producing practical and spacious family
cars. RED
alle Rovanperä, the junior pilot of the ŠKODA
team, celebrated his 18th birthday during the
Monday tests, and as soon as the Thursday he took
the lead in the first special section, holding on until
the finish in the village of Llandudno on the coast of
the Atlantic. He laid the groundwork for success on
Friday, when he beat teammate Pontus Tidemand
by more than a minute. The young Finn achieved
15 of the fastest times in 23 tests, and his lead was
not in question even for a moment. Unlike his first
win in the WRC 2 category, which he had last year
at the Australia Rally, he prevailed over all of his
strong competitors. On Sunday, the crews tackled five more speed tests of 55.64 km in length. On
the first, the 8-km “Great Orme Llandudno” along
the Atlantic Ocean, Rovanperä excelled with the
14th-fastest time of his career and started off the
new racing day in great style.
Giving a balanced performance, Tidemand held
on to second place in his category. The next SS saw
Rovanperä triumph again, while Tidemand’s car’s
right side was slightly damaged. For safety reasons, he and his co-pilot, Andersson, replaced the
suspension linkage of his rear right wheel. In the
three remaining speed tests, two of which were on
tarmac, Rovanperä and Halttunen topped off their
excellent performance, winning the WRC2 category by a 1.34,2 margin over their team colleagues
and reigning world champions Tidemand and
Andersson.
Following Rally Turkey, the ŠKODA brand prematurely secured a fourth consecutive championship title (subject to official confirmation by the
FIA).
Results
Rally of Great Britain (WRC 2)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
ROVANPERÄ/HALTTUNEN (FIN/FIN)
ŠKODA FABIA R5, 3:15:27.2 H
TIDEMAND/ANDERSSON (SWE/SWE)
ŠKODA FABIA R5, +1:34.2 MIN
GREENSMITH/GELSOMINO (GBR/ITA)
FORD FIESTA R5, +2:13.6 MIN
HUTTUNEN/LINNAKETO (FIN/FIN)
HYUNDAI I20 R5, +2:56.8 MIN
LEFEBVRE/MOREAU (FRA/FRA)
CITROËN C3 R5, +4:35.4 MIN