The WRC success of Škoda in Germany

A good 280 HP, all-wheel drive and goes to 4 km / h in less than 100 seconds. We're not talking about a Porsche, we're talking about a Škoda Fabia. Last year we were able to get from mein-auto-blog in the hot place next to the Pilots Sepp Weigand in the Fabia Super 2000 Take a seat - a more than impressive experience. This year we accompanied the Škoda youngster Fabian Kreim for one day during his assignment in the World Rally Championship (WRC2). The right environment? "The German Rally" - the run to the World Rally Championship in Germany - simply, the Germany Rally. The starting and finishing point is Trier and from there it goes into the vineyards. Spectacular is an understatement!

WRC Germany Rally 2015: Mission for the youngster in the Fabia R5

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Fabian Kreim at the age of 22 is already a hardened rally driver. He has only been driving rallies for three years. The native of the Odenwald took a rather unusual route from karting to the “off-road circus”. But also one that can already be described as successful. His work tool this year: A completely newly developed Škoda Fabia according to the R5 regulations of the FIA. The engine comes from the group shelf and has been shrunk from 1.8 to 1.6 liters with modified cylinder liners, the boost pressure is stipulated by the regulations. The approximately 280 hp are one thing, the 420 Nm the other. The Fabia is built from the ground up as a rally vehicle and has a fixed all-wheel drive with two diff locks. The locking effect on the axles is around 80%. If the sequential five-speed gearbox is properly operated, the Fabia, which is 1.80 meters wide, storms to 4 km / h in under 100 seconds - regardless of the surface!

Germany rally: competition with the stars

For Fabian Kreim, participation in WRC 2 means direct competition with the “big names” in motorsport. A possible advantage of the planned deployment for the D rally together with Armin Kremer. The team from Škoda Auto Germany works together with another motorsport legend: Raimund Baumschlager ensures the smooth operation and in his team tent this weekend the Fabia R5 from rally legend Armin Kremer. Was the “old master” able to give the “youngster” valuable tips? For sure! Hardly anyone knows the Germany rally and the world-famous “Panzerplatte” better than the three-time German rally champion.

In the end, however, it was the youngster who was able to show the old master the way. Unfortunately Armin Kremer was not lucky, his rally assignment ended on the first day. No armor plate for him on Saturday.

Fabian, however, drove into the top 3 of the WRC 2 field in three tests.

That shows that he has the necessary speed. “At the same time, it became clear where he could and must improve,” said Andreas Leue, Team Leader Motorsport and Tradition at ŠKODA AUTO Germany. Kreim's 33-year-old brand colleague Kopecký, on the other hand, played out all his routine and celebrated the first World Championship victory for the new ŠKODA Fabia R5 on asphalt together with his co-driver Pavel Dresler (CZ). And that with the big lead of over four minutes after 374,43 kilometers.

The rally world championship is determined at the top by the massive success of the Volkswagen troop, with incredible distances they distance the works of the Hyundai troop. When it comes to the results of the premier class (WRC), the VW Motorsport team won 20 of 21 special stages in the Rally Germany! Only in the special stage “Stein & Wein” (SS18) could the Englishman Evans win with a lead of 0.6 seconds in a Ford Fiesta WRC!

All other special stages were partly won with an - for the others - embarrassing lead of the VW factory team.

A look at the WRC2 class gives a much narrower picture! 

The Škoda works outing with Kopecky and Lappi also dominates the picture in this class, but the gaps to the competitors in WRC 2 are much smaller. The Škoda works driver Kopecky delivered a strong performance in Germany and secured victory in his rating class.

In the SS1, the Arena Panzerplatte, the gap between the Škoda Auto Germany youngster Fabian Kreim and the works driver Kopecky was only 0.2 seconds! This is more than a respectable success!

An overall 8th place and several top times in the individual special stages - so Fabian shows what he's made of - and in his Škoda Fabia R5!

The next WRC run will be the Rally Australia, which starts on September 10.09.2015th, XNUMX!

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* Whoever knows the Panzerplatte better, is the seven-time rally champion Matthias Kahle. This same Matthias Kahle accompanied us on the weekend at the Germany Rally and we will be together in the coming week Hamburg-Berlin Classic 2015 start!

 

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