Rally Japan : Skoda Motorsport - Leg 1
Skoda Motorsport World Rally Team made a strong start to its Rally Japan debut with Mikko Hirvonen starting the rally with fourth place on the opening stage and setting three more Top 10 times. However the young Finn crashed out of ninth position near the end of the seventh stage.
Armin Schwarz ended today`s opening leg in 12th place on his first visit to Japan.
The event began last night with a ceremonial start in the centre of Obihiro. The main street was packed with enthusiastic fans who cheered their heroes as they left the ramp. Mikko and Armin were especially popular drivers as Škoda Motorsport made its Rally Japan debut as they drove through the crowds.
Mikko Hirvonen
“I had to work very hard this morning but it was good that the times were so fast from the beginning, matching and beating even Sebastien Loeb at times. On the third stage I hit a rock that must have damaged the hydraulic oil cooler and we started to lose fluid. It stopped the automatic gearshift from working and affected the diffs so we spun a couple of times, losing about 30 seconds as a result but we were still well placed. On the second runs the stages were really rough. Near the end of the long stage I punctured the front left tyre and it was impossible to stay on the road at the next corner. The car hit a rock and rolled into the forest. It was my mistake.”
Armin Schwarz
“It has been very difficult for me today. You need very precise pace notes here and there were times when mine were far too optimistic for my first visit to the rally. We had a lot of scary moments this morning.”
Martin Muehlmeier, Head of Škoda Motorsport
“It was a good start for Mikko this morning but ultimately a disappointing finish. Once again we saw the kind of performance we can get from the Fabia when the conditions are right. I had hoped that we could let Mikko restart tomorrow but the car is too badly damaged and so I`m afraid his rally is over.”
Tomorrow`s leg features 12 stages to the north of Obihiro, finishing with a second run over the Satsunai superspecial. After today`s leg that included two attempts at the marathon 50kms longest stage of the championship, tomorrow`s longest stage is just 16.25kms. The day‘s stage distance totals 100.98kms.


Tags: skoda, japan, fabia,