Continued presence in the World Rally ChampionshipSkoda Auto is to continue giving official support to entries in next season`s FIA World Rally Championship with the Fabia WRC model again spearheading the programme.
The decision ensures that the Skoda brand`s involvement with the WRC remains unbroken and at the same time extends the motorsport presence of a famous brand that celebrated a century of competition in 2001.
Skoda Auto has selected two partners for the future WRC co-operation, one based in the Czech Republic and the other in Austria.
The team from the Czech Republic will be based around Czech Champion Jan Kopecký. It will be a single-car private team and Jan will contest 10 European rounds of the 2006 championship using the current Fabia WRC 05 model.
The Red Bull Skoda Team will run two Skoda Fabia WRCs on 10 events under the new ‘Manufacturer 2` category that allows private and officially supported teams to contest a reduced number of events instead of the full 16-round WRC programme.
The Red Bull Skoda Team will be run by Austrian Raimund Baumschlager and his Baumschlager Rally & Racing (BRR) Team.
Already confirmed as one of the drivers for the Red Bull Skoda Team is 21-year old Austrian Andreas Aigner. Andreas has been gaining WRC experience in recent seasons as part of the Red Bull Junior Team. A second driver with international experience will be confirmed shortly.
Skoda Motorsport will provide both teams with the same level of extensive support including the supply of Fabia WRCs and a package of parts for the programme. Technical support will also be available throughout the season and additional engineers will be provided on events. The support will also extend to national activities of Skoda Auto importers in various European markets.
The 2006 WRC starts with the Monte Carlo Rally (January 20-22).
Detlef Wittig, Chairman of Board of Directors
“We have given our future participation in the World Rally Championship a lot of serious thought and we believe that this is the most cost-effective way in which to maintain the Skoda brand`s presence in the series. I am confident that both partners will be excellent ambassadors for Skoda Auto in the coming season.”
Harald Ludanek, Director of Research and Development
“The technical improvements of the Fabia WRC 05 were visible towards the end of the past season but the overall performance of the technique, team and the crews was not enough to be successful against the competitors. Also the discussion about the FIA regulations in the future is the reason that we decided to create a partnership with young and talented drivers like Jan Kopecký and Andreas Aigner through their respective private teams. Skoda Auto will continue to observe the development of the championship and its regulations and will decide at some point in the future whether or not we will one day return as a factory team.”
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