SKODA

Skoda Fabia RS Rally2: Czech Republic brand delivered its 100th vehicle to Romanian driver Andrei Gîrtofan

Skoda Motorsport has already sold 100 vehicles of its latest rally model, the Skoda Fabia RS Rally2. The 100th vehicle was handed over to Romanian driver Andrei Gîrtofan(image below), leader of the Romanian championship, during a small ceremony held at the team's headquarters in Mladá Boleslav.

Romanian driver Andrei Gîrtofan of Prorally Team Brasov is looking forward to replacing his current Skoda Fabia Rally2 with the latest model, the Skoda Fabia RS Rally2. “So far I have managed to achieve the best results with the first generation Skoda Fabia Rally2, but now I am happy to switch to the Skoda Fabia RS Rally2 which, in my opinion, is currently the best car I can have in my fight for the championship title. national”, says Gîrtofan.

The success story of the Skoda Fabia's Rally2 specification began almost a decade ago and is based on a competitive car that is continually tested and developed. The latest generation Skoda Fabia RS Rally2 is no exception: in the second half of the 2024 season, Skoda Motorsport will offer a second gear set, which will make the car even more suitable for fast events like Rally Finland. Furthermore, Skoda Motorsport has recently further improved the brake pedal response and the durability of the brake cooling ducts.

After the homologation of the first generation Skoda Fabia Rally2 on April 1, 2015, Esapekka Lappi won the FIA ​​WRC2 Drivers Cup in 2016, and Pontus Tidemand and Jan Kopecký continued this success story in the following two years. April 1, 2019 saw the homologation of the Skoda Fabia Rally2 evo, and future world champion Kalle Rovanperä won the FIA ​​WRC2 Pro title, while Pierre-Louis Loubet dominated the FIA ​​WRC2 Drivers Cup that year. Andreas Mikkelsen won the FIA ​​European Rally Championship and the WRC2 category of the FIA ​​World Rally Championship in 2021. A year later, Emil Lindholm was crowned WRC2 champion.

Called the Skoda Fabia RS Rally2, the next generation was based on the series production Fabia IV. The vehicle featured a completely new chassis and major upgrades made to the engine. The Skoda Fabia RS Rally2 continued the brand's success story, making its FIA World Championship debut at the 2023 Monte Carlo Rally. Driving for Skoda Motorsport supported by Toksport WRT that year, Andreas Mikkelsen again won the Drivers' title WRC2. In the 2024 season of the FIA ​​World Rally Championship, teams relying on the latest Rally2 car manufactured in Mladá Boleslav will once again celebrate numerous victories in WRC2.

Since its homologation in early 2015, the Rally2-specification Skoda Fabia has won 28 regional championships and 125 national championships, making around 22,000 appearances in rally events over the last nine years and achieving 2,563 victories and 6,400 podium positions. Since 2015, Skoda Motorsport has delivered close to 600 Rally2-specification Skoda Fabias to 42 countries around the world, and the recently delivered 100th Skoda Fabia RS Rally2 underlines the model's position as number 1 in its category.

Autonews