Zoom Real-world test for the Fabia S2000

The first public outing on an international rally for the new Skoda Fabia S2000 will be on the Barum Rally Zlin this weekend, where it will be the zero car driven by local hero Jan Kopecky and his co-driver Petr Stary. The car made its first appearance at technical scrutineering in Zlin yesterday.

The new Fabia's appearance on the rally is the latest chapter in the testing process and another step towards the car's official homologation, scheduled for late this year.

"We see testing the behaviour of the Fabia and its components on a real rally, using real stages, as a valuable experience," said Michal Hrabanek, team principal of Skoda Motorsport. "This should move us towards successful homologation and subsequent participation in both local and international events."

"Besides cooperating with our importers, we are also planning to offer the vehicle to private teams," he added.

The Skoda Fabia Super 2000 started testing this year in February. The test team has racked up around 5000 kilometres over more than six months, developing and testing three prototypes.

The test drivers included leading Czech driver and IRC regular Jan Kopecky (who drives the car this weekend), Austrian Rally Champion Raimund Baumschlager and multiple Finnish Champion Sebastian Lindholm. The test team also benefited from the experience of the legendary Carlos Sainz, a two-time World Rally Champion.

Kopecky has already proved his speed on the IRC this year, having been a consistent frontrunner from the start and claiming a podium finish in Portugal.

D.B. © CAPSIS International