Round three of the World Rally Championship is almost upon us, and for both drivers and teams, the next event couldn’t be any further removed from the last round in the Swedish snow if they tried. This time crews have to contend with heat, dust, and altitude, as they head to the Rally Guanajuato México.
Although ŠKODA Motorsport works team is not taking part in this rally, there are still four crews with ŠKODA Fabia R5 cars entered.
Leading the way will be the experienced German driver Armin Kremer and his young co-driver Pirmin Winklhofer, representing the BRR Baumschlager Rally & Racing Team. After a fantastic start to their WRC challenge, which saw them finishing second in the WRC 2 category in Monte Carlo, Kremer will be looking to surpass his performance here in Mexico back in 2013, when he just missed out on a WRC 2 podium finish.
Speaking ahead of the rally, Kremer was clear that he hopes to do ever better this time round. “Even if we are in for a real challenge, we want to build on the great result of the Monte Carlo and fight for the class victory. Our goal is to move into second place in the WRC 2 standings and for this we need to finish on the podium. If we fail in this, I will be disappointed,” admitted Armin Kremer.
The Finnish pairing of Teemu Suninen/Mikko Markkula will be behind the wheel of a Fabia R5 run by TGS Worldwide team and keen to continue their positive momentum after top five finishes in RC2 class in the opening two rallies of the season. They wasn’t registered for WRC 2 points at either event and their are expected to push hard for another good result in Mexico.
Meanwhile Peruvian driver Nicolás Fuchs makes his first start in a Fabia R5 of Dutch team Wevers Sport (title photo above). After finishing second in WRC 2 category in Mexico last year, Fuchs will be looking to make a strong start in a season when he is focusing solely on the gravel rallies in the WRC.
“Today was our first experience with the car under the conditions of the competition and it drove very well. We went through several kilometers of testing to get used to the feel of this new car. The ŠKODA drives in a more linear way and you don’t have to veer the steering wheel so much to get the car to turn,” said Nicolás Fuchs after finishing the Monday test.
And the Culture & Sport Qatar Rally Team’s crew of Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari and Britain’s Marshall Clarke will complete the Fabia R5 lineup. It is also their first time driving the car in the WRC and they will be looking to improve on some solid performance last season, and be challenging at the top end of the WRC 2 standings.
Rally Guanajuato México takes place in the mountains surrounding the cities of León, Silao, Irapuato and Guanajuato, in the State of Guanajuato, in Mexico, from the 3th to the 6th of March 2016.
