125 years of motorsport / jan-kopecky-andreas-mikklesen
Motorsport
Jan Kopecký, Andreas Mikkelsen
The Rise of a Phenomenon
For almost a quarter of a century, the most successful rally model range from the Škoda cars has been on the scene. It all began with the Fabia WRC special.
The Fabia WRC was based on the first generation of the production model and was built for what was then the top category of rally cars, the World Rally Car (WRC). It made its World Championship debut in 2003 at Rally Germany. Didier Auriol and Toni Gardemeister took it to the first event, and later the young Jan Kopecký also got his chance. "I was given the Fabia WRC special mainly for my starts in the Czech Championship for the 2004 season, and it was with this car that I won my first Czech title," recalls the now eleven-time Czech champion.
After the 2005 season, the carmaker decided to disband the factory team, but Fabia WRC cars could still be seen in the hands of private teams supported by Škoda Auto, including the Czech RT Škoda Kopecký team. It was Kopecký who achieved the best World Championship results with the car. In 2009, twenty-year-old Andreas Mikkelsen also drove the Fabia WRC special at the gravel Rally Poland. He already had experience with top-category cars, and the chance to get behind the wheel of this special was a welcome opportunity for him. "It was great to jump back into a WRC car. The car was really good, and we were among the fastest at the start of the rally," says Mikkelsen, describing his first encounter with the Škoda cars.
Meanwhile, the development of Škoda rally cars took a different direction. The second generation of the production model gave rise to the Fabia S2000 special, which was driven not only by Juho Hänninen but also again by Kopecký and Mikkelsen. The car collected successes in the Intercontinental Rally Challenge (IRC) as well as in the European Championship, which Kopecký won in 2013. It was followed by the Fabia R5 (later Fabia Rally2 evo), based on the third generation of the model. In 2018, J. Kopecký dominated the WRC2 category with this car, and in 2021 A. Mikkelsen pulled off a brilliant feat with the evolution version, winning the European Championship title and also taking the WRC2 category. He later switched to the Fabia RS Rally2, based on the current generation of the model, and won the WRC2 category with it again in 2023.
Jan Kopecký
He began his racing career on circuits, but in time he fell in love with rally. He entered rallying in 2001 and soon ranked among the world's best. In 2013, he became European champion, and a year later he also won the APRC Championship. In 2018, he won five WRC2 events and became world champion in this category. He has won the Czech Championship title eleven times, each time with a version of the Fabia model.
Andreas Mikkelsen
The Norwegian driver had always been drawn to speed, but it was somewhat by chance that he came to rally: an injury prevented him from skiing competitively. Throughout his career, he often drove Škoda cars and won two titles in the IRC series, two in the WRC2 category and one European Championship title with them.
4,002 mm
The Fabia WRC followed on from the Octavia WRC special. That car had long overhangs, the sections of the body in front of the front axle and behind the rear axle. These gave it stability at high speeds but also a tendency towards oversteer in corners, where the rear of the car slides out. With a length of 4,002 mm, just two millimetres more than the rules required, the Fabia WRC was considerably more compact and agile. "It really handled corners beautifully," says Andreas Mikkelsen.
5
The Fabia WRC special's greatest achievement in the World Championship remains two fifth-place finishes. Both were won by Jan Kopecký, in 2006 in Spain and a year later in Germany. The driver, born in Opočno, also collected other points-scoring finishes with this car.
57
The Fabia WRC started a total of 57 World Championship events. It raced in factory team colours for three seasons, and afterwards in the hands of private teams with the carmaker's support. The line-up of drivers is also remarkable: besides Armin Schwarz and Toni Gardemeister, it was also driven by the likes of Didier Auriol, Mikko Hirvonen, Colin McRae, Roman Kresta and Jani Paasonen.
Interviews
Jan Kopecký
What was your path to motorsport?
At home, motorsport was a family affair, my father achieved great success in it. Like him, I started out on circuits, and that's where I first encountered the Škoda cars. I raced in the Škoda Pickup Freestyle series, which I won in 2000, and a year later I won the Octavia Cup. By then, though, I was already eyeing rally.
Why were you drawn to rally in particular?
I wanted racing to be a bit more varied. The circuit racing scene in the Czech Republic mainly means Most and Brno, and I wanted to try more. In 2000, my father and I first tried out Barum Rally as a course car crew, driving the route ahead of the competitors. Then, for the 2001 season, we converted an Octavia into a rally special, and I dived into rallying full-time.
How did you join the Škoda Motorsport team?
Quite quickly, actually. Already in 2003, I got the chance to get behind the wheel of the Octavia WRC special and competed in two World Rally Championship events with it. Then, for the 2004 season, I was able to race the new Fabia WRC special in the Czech Championship, and in the following years I also occasionally competed with it in the World Championship. In 2006 and 2007, we competed with our own team supported by the carmaker. That's when the Fabia WRC special achieved its greatest successes on the world stage.
What are your memories of the Fabia WRC special?
That car was very different from the Octavia WRC special. It was considerably more compact and had smaller overhangs, the sections of the body in front of the front axle and behind the rear axle. Thanks to that, it handled much better and was more agile. It also had a lot of power. I'd dare to say that with today's dampers and tyres, it would be faster than the current Rally2 specials, which, however, are built according to completely different rules.
What was the atmosphere like in the team back then?
I'd say those were golden times. The team wasn't fighting for overall wins, but thanks to competing in the top category, it had a lot of fans. And they managed to create an incredible atmosphere at the events. I especially remember the Czech fans in Germany, which was close by for them. They had flags, horns, flares, and it was just great.
You've stayed loyal to the Škoda cars. What does that mean to you?
I'm Czech, and I'm glad we have a carmaker that is thriving and producing great production cars. On top of that, it has been successfully involved in motorsport for a long time. There's simply a lot to be proud of. I'm glad I could be part of it and help develop a number of special cars. That's what I enjoy most about it.
Andreas Mikkelsen
How did you get into rally?
It was a bit of a coincidence. I always loved speed, adrenaline and competing. I started with alpine skiing, but I also tried motocross and found out I enjoyed motorsport too. When an injury stopped me from skiing competitively at sixteen, I sat in a rally car for the first time on a frozen lake. It turned out I had a talent for it, driving the car came completely naturally to me. So I started working on it.
You jumped into rally already at seventeen. When did you first encounter the Škoda cars?
Yes, I started in 2006, when I was only seventeen. That's why I drove my first events in Britain, where you could get a driving licence at that age. I first competed in a Škoda car in 2009, and it was the Fabia WRC special. By then I already had experience with other WRC cars, so it was a good opportunity for me to get back into the cockpit of a top-category car.
How do you remember that first drive in the Fabia WRC?
It was in Poland, at a World Championship event. We were fast from the start, and after the opening stages I think we were even holding second place. But we only managed to complete a few stages before a mechanical failure forced us to retire. Still, I enjoyed the car, it was fast and handled corners really nicely. I remember it wasn't as stable at higher speeds as other cars. And compared to today's Škoda specials, it behaved exactly the other way round. It worked brilliantly on the first pass through a stage, while the road was still clean, but the second pass was tougher. Today's Fabia RS Rally2, on the other hand, really excels in demanding conditions.
How would you compare the WRC cars of that time with today's Rally2 cars?
Rally2 cars are very efficient, and the suspension in particular has made a huge leap forward. They're more refined and finished down to the last detail. The WRC specials were fast, but not as versatile.
You've returned to the Škoda cars several times. What led you to that?
As a driver, I always try to find the best possible place for myself. Of course I wanted to reach the top category, WRC. But I never really experienced that era with the Škoda cars directly, I only had that one start in the Fabia WRC with a private team. The Škoda cars were a great choice for me whenever I couldn't find a seat in WRC. I think both sides benefited from it. That's where our biggest successes came from, whether it was the two IRC titles with the Fabia S2000, or the WRC2 titles from 2021 and 2023.
How do you think the atmosphere in the team has changed over the years?
The team works differently now, instead of competing itself, it focuses on supporting customers, meaning the private teams that race with its cars. Apart from that, though, not much has changed. The atmosphere is still great. Even after all these years, I meet the same people here, and that's clear proof that they enjoy the work. With other big teams, that's often not the case, people come and go. There's a family atmosphere here, and I always feel at home too. Driving for the Škoda cars is a joy for me.