The highlight of 43rd Rallye Český Krumlov was the enthralling fight between Jan Kopecký and Václav Pech. The lead was going back and forth between both drivers and differences were only in tenths of a second. The equality of the prestige fight is best illustrated by the score of stage wins – 7:7. The ŠKODA Motorsport works driver had a better start and it seemed that he will pocket the first leg win. In the 6th stage though, he run into a bad luck in the dark and punctured the left rear tyre. A loss of 22 seconds meant 2nd place and even though he had done his best in the remainder of the wet first leg, he went to sleep with a loss of 6.6 s.
During Saturday, the battle of nerves raged with undiminished intensity. This time, Václav Pech had a better start and he ruled the first three stages of the day. Jan Kopecký returned the fight in special stage at České Budějovice and he managed to reduce his 12 second loss to under 10 seconds. This meant that Pech went to last three stages with the lead of 9.9s. However, Kopecký wasn’t going to give up and he was prepared for final attack. His devastating finish was too much for his competitor to handle and Pech went out of the track during the last stage. Kopecký and Dressler gained a well-earned win and they got to celebrate at Deer Garden of the Český Krumlov Castle with the team members of ŠKODA Motorsport works team.
“We were trying be as focused as we could, and it paid off. Our rival made a mistake, but we have to tip our hats to their driving. Our car is still developing, but this was another example of how great basis for future development we have. We thank to our great fans for their support”, concluded Kopecký on the podium.
As part of the entertaining programme, prepared for visitors by ŠKODA AUTO Czech republic, the fans could once again enter the contest to win a brand new ŠKODA Fabia Monte Carlo 1.2 TSI. Similarly to the Šumava Rallye, several hundreds of fans took part in the contest that allowed them, for example, to try out changing the wheel as a time trial. Their next chance will be in Hustopeče, where Czech Rally Championship continues with its third event on 19th and 20th of June.
Rally Český Krumlov – Final results:
1. Kopecký/Dresler (CZ/CZ), ŠKODA Fabia R5, 1:36:00.8 hrs.
2. Pech/Uhel (CZ/CZ), Mini John Cooper Works S2000, + 0:04.7 min.
3. Valoušek/Havelková (CZ/CZ), ŠKODA Fabia Super 2000, + 3:57.1 min.
4. Odložilík/Tureček (CZ/CZ), Ford Fiesta R5, + 4:49.7 min.
5. Vlček/Žáková, ŠKODA Fabia Super 2000, + 5:23.6 min.
