The new Fabia R5 is slowly going to rule the world. After the series of victories in the domestic championship, this time our ŠKODA drivers did not find rivals even in the world. “Flying Finn” Esapekka Lappi repeated his win from 2012 and his Swedish teammate Pontus Tidemand was the second in Poland. The maiden win came at the perfect location: ŠKODA has been the top-selling car brand in Poland for the last six years in a row.
“What a day for ŠKODA! We claimed our first win in only the third WRC 2 start with the new Fabia R5. Compliments to both teams – Esapekka Lappi and Janne Ferm, and Pontus Tidemand and Emil Axelsson. They were flawless for four days, even in that heat,” said ŠKODA Motorsport Director Michal Hrabánek, beaming with joy. The first victory is a great reward for the hard work put in by everyone at ŠKODA Motorsport. It also gives us extra incentive to continue doing everything we can to achieve success.”
Our drivers dominated the race on the fastest gravels roads from the very beginning. The whole rally have to be ridden with the accelerator pushed down the floor and it betrayed some competitors already in the first turning. But no problem for ŠKODA! Our Scandinavians drivers tackled perfectly with the high speed and dusty roads and have right to celebrate their premiere world victory.
“What an amazing win! Thank you to the ŠKODA team for doing a perfect job. The Fabia R5 was just brilliant,” said Lappi. But he have a little time to celebrate his win. The successful winner of Rally Poland will make a guest appearance on the Rally Bohemia next week (11 – 12 July). In Mladá Boleslav, ŠKODA’s hometown, we can also look forward to duo Kopecký/Dresler that will be aim for the fourth triumph in a row.
Rally Poland – WRC 2 result
1. Lappi/Ferm (FIN/FIN), ŠKODA Fabia R5 2:32:02.6 hrs.
2. Tidemand/Axelsson (SWE/SWE), ŠKODA Fabia R5 + 0:56.1 min.
3. Kruuda/Jarveoja (EST/EST), Citroën DS3 R5 + 2:05.3 min.
4. Ketomaa/Lindstrom (FIN/FIN), Ford Fiesta R5 + 4:54.1 min.
5. Kremer/Winklhofer (D/D), ŠKODA Fabia R5 + 5:11.9 min.
