by Clinton Deacon June 13, 2008 7:00 PM
Filed Under: German, Skoda
Skoda announced late last year they will enter the Super 2000 Rally category and earlier this year we were treated with the first images of the prototype version. Now as the project development is entering its advanced stages, two time world champion Carlos Sainz gets behind the wheel for some serious testing in Austria.
The seriousness of Skoda's development is evident with some of the world's top test drivers getting involved including legendary Volkswagen Motor Sport driver Hans-Joachim Stuck assisting experienced test drivers Jan Kopecký and Raimund Baumschlager.Sainz has good experience of driving the Fabia after the driver won the Shalymar Rally (near Madrid) last year. He said “I have got to know the Škoda Fabia really well, and I can see a huge step forward as far as the development of the competition version is concerned.”
We first saw the model in concept form back at the Geneva Show last year which is based on the new Fabia production version and it surely won't be long before the full competition version is ready for competitive action.
Successful tarmac test of the new Škoda Fabia Super 2000. Besides experienced test drivers Jan Kopecký and Raimund Baumschlager, the team recently testing the competition version of the Fabia Super 2000 in Austria included two times world champion Carlos Sainz. The Volkswagen factory driver won the Central European Rally with a Race Touareg this year in April and contributed to the double success of the new Scirocco in its class at the 24-hour race in Nürnburgring a few days ago.
A number of big names of motor sport attended the test rides of the new Škoda Fabia Super 2000 in order to check the project progress, including Hans-Joachim Stuck of the Volkswagen Motor Sport Department.
The test was not Sainz's first experience of driving a Škoda – the Spanish driver won the Shalymar Rally (near Madrid) with a Fabia in the autumn of last year, and so he felt like trying out the new version of the Fabia Super 2000. “I have got to know the Škoda Fabia really well, and I can see a huge step forward as far as the development of the competition version is concerned“, said Sainz, authorised to take part in this test by Volkswagen Motor Sport Department Director Kris Nissen.
Commenting on the project, Dr. Eckhard Scholz, Škoda Auto BOD Member responsible for technological development, said: “The involvement of experienced competitors such as Carlos Sainz and Hans-Joachim Stuck highlights the importance the Volkswagen Group attributes to Škoda's motor sport initiatives and gives valuable stimuli to the development of the new Fabia Super 2000.“
Carlos sainz eh eh , what a bloke met him at the WRC of gt britan 2005 chelternham , he was so polite and had time for his fans , and upon walking away i nearly knocked richard burns over lol .
