Zoom Hanninen nearly confirmed his place on the Ypres podium

The works team of Skoda Motorsport and its distinctive green, white and red Fabia S2000 cars will be travelling to Rally Russia next week for the sixth round of this year's Intercontinental Rally Challenge (July 9-11).

"Our next event will be the Rally Russia," confirmed Head of Skoda Motorsport, Michal Hrabanek. "The rally comprises a lot of tough gravel roads, full of bumps and enormously difficult challenges. That will surely be another excellent test for the Fabia Super 2000 and both our crews."

The Skoda team drivers have performed well at every IRC participation so far. At the last round in Ypres, Jan Kopecky reached the second step of the podium while teammate Juho Hanninen dealt with a puncture on the very last stage, costing him a third-place finish at the Belgian event.

Hanninen, the team's resident gravel expert, is delighted to be preparing for another gravel event so soon after the flat-out asphalt event in Ypres.

"I'm looking forward to Russia, because I certainly prefer gravel to tarmac," he said.

"The event looks brilliantly organised and certainly I'm hoping to be able to continue the strong results and stage times we have achieved so far this season," the Finn added.

D.B. © CAPSIS International