The Valašská Rally returned to the MČR calendar last year for the first time since 2012. But that didn’t stop ŠKODA Motorsport’s Jan Kopecký from dominating here as he did everywhere else. In 2017, Kopecký went fastest on 11 out of 12 special stages on his way to victory by a margin of 1 minute and 11 seconds. He also won this rally in 2011 in a FABIA S2000 alongside co-driver Petr Starý, and in 2012 in the same car but with Pavel Dresler as his co-driver. This rally will be his first start in the Czech Rally Championship since the Barum Czech Rally Zlín last August. But he comes into the rally in fine form, having won the WRC2 category at the Rallye Monte Carlo in January and undefeated in any MČR event he has driven for past three years.
The other ŠKODA Motorsport FABIA R5 will be driven by Norwegian Ole Christian Veiby and his regular co-driver Stig Rune Skjærmoen. In contrast to the experience of his teammate Kopecký, this will be Veiby’s first-ever rally in the Czech Republic. But he will be competing at the Tour de Corse in the next round of the WRC2 championship, so this event offers him a great opportunity to get some kilometres under his belt on tarmac. Veiby has made a positive start in his two WRC2 events for ŠKODA Motorsport so far, with a third-place finish at the Rally Sweden already under his belt this season. It will also be interesting for Czech ŠKODA fans to see their new works driver up close.
The Valašská Rally returned to the MČR calendar last year for the first time since 2012. But that didn’t stop ŠKODA Motorsport’s Jan Kopecký from dominating here as he did everywhere else. In 2017, Kopecký went fastest on 11 out of 12 special stages on his way to victory by a margin of 1 minute and 11 seconds. He also won this rally in 2011 in a FABIA S2000 alongside co-driver Petr Starý, and in 2012 in the same car but with Pavel Dresler as his co-driver. This rally will be his first start in the Czech Rally Championship since the Barum Czech Rally Zlín last August. But he comes into the rally in fine form, having won the WRC2 category at the Rallye Monte Carlo in January and undefeated in any MČR event he has driven for past three years.
The other ŠKODA Motorsport FABIA R5 will be driven by Norwegian Ole Christian Veiby and his regular co-driver Stig Rune Skjærmoen. In contrast to the experience of his teammate Kopecký, this will be Veiby’s first-ever rally in the Czech Republic. But he will be competing at the Tour de Corse in the next round of the WRC2 championship, so this event offers him a great opportunity to get some kilometres under his belt on tarmac. Veiby has made a positive start in his two WRC2 events for ŠKODA Motorsport so far, with a third-place finish at the Rally Sweden already under his belt this season. It will also be interesting for Czech ŠKODA fans to see their new works driver up close.
