The competition in the Mlada Boleslav area is one of the traditional highlights of the Czech rally championship and, as this is ŠKODA Motorsport's home event, the Mladá Boleslav-based carmaker always has a surprise in store for its fans. This year, as ŠKODA Motorsport celebrates 120 years of ŠKODA in motorsport, the programme is even more enticing.
The programme of the 48th Rally Bohemia will kick off on Friday at noon with a shakedown at the Sosonová Autodrom, followed by a show in the afternoon featuring duels between contemporary and historic racing cars and then cars with power units of the future. The battle for tenths of a second will break out on Saturday, when the drivers will be treated first to a city stage in the centre of Mladá Boleslav and then to two loops of four stages divided by a service in Hoškovice. Saturday's stage will take the crews to the demanding tarmac tracks in the Liberec region, where nearly 80 sharp kilometres await them. Sunday's programme will return the competition to the surroundings of Mladá Boleslav and its very centre, the morning and afternoon loops will start with the spectacular Staroměstská test. A total of six stages await the crews on Sunday - two runs of three stages, with the grand finale to be contested on the longest test of the entire competition, the nearly 20 km long stage Klášter. A new feature is the Krásná stage, whose winding passages in the valley of the Strenický Brook present a real challenge for the drivers. Variable weather forecast with rain showers is also expected during the weekend, which will be especially demanding for the right choice of tyres. The winning crew will appear on the finish ramp in Mladá Boleslav on Sunday at 16:00.
Although the ŠKODA Motorsport factory team is not taking part in the Czech Championship this season, Rally Bohemia is an exception for obvious reasons, with three crews taking part in the factory team's colours. Jan Kopecký, a multiple Czech Republic champion and also a former WRC2 world champion, and his navigator Jan Hloušek will not be missing, while the other crew will consist of young talent Dominik Střiteský and Jiří Hovorka. The crew of the third car will bring a WRC flavour to Rally Bohemia, the Bolivian-Argentinian duo of Marco Bulacia - Marcelo Der Ohannesian, who drive in the World Championship in the colours of the ŠKODA Motorsport-supported Toksport WRT team. The South Americans are third in the WRC2 category standings. A total of 18 ŠKODA, FABIA Rally2 evo or FABIA Rally2 cars will be on the grid, alongside the three ŠKODA Motorsport factory livery cars and six cars from dealer teams supported by ŠKODA AUTO Czech Republic.
The big attraction of the show in Sosnová and subsequently at the ŠKODA Rally Park in Mladá Boleslav will be the ŠKODA RE-X1 Kreisel electric competition special built by the Austrian company Kreisel Electric in cooperation with ŠKODA Motorsport on the basis of the FABIA Rally2 evo. The car has all-wheel drive, the electric motors have a total of 354 hp and 600 Nm and are powered by a 52.5 kWh battery operating at 860 V. In Sosnová, this car will also be presented on the track in a duel with the classic FABIA Rally2 evo with an internal combustion engine.
We will be informing you about the latest news from the rally on the ŠKODA Motorsport social media.
