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Juho Hänninen (ŠKODA Motorsport) won the event as the first six places were filled with ŠKODA Fabia S2000s, although the podium celebrations and final stage (SS15) were cancelled as a mark of respect following an accident on SS13 that claimed the life of a spectator. ŠKODA UK Motorsport would like to extend its condolences to all those involved in the tragic accident.

Changeable weather during Leg 1 made tyre choice exceptionally difficult, and Andreas lost 14.4 seconds on Friday night’s opening super special stage around Zlín city centre when rain offered little grip to his slick tyres.

Saturday’s constantly changing weather continued to make tyre choice a lottery, although Andreas was one of the best to master the slippery conditions as he and co-driver Ola Fløene took the lead after setting fastest times on SS4.

The ŠKODA UK Motorsport Fabia S2000’s technical set-up was perfect for the twisty narrow asphalt roads. However, the Tesák stage had a slippery section with very long and fast corners, which didn’t suit the set-up so well, meaning that Andreas dropped 33.4 seconds to leader Hänninen over its two runs (SS7/9).

Andreas started Sunday’s second and final leg in 3rd place, but lost almost five minutes on the day’s opening stage when he clipped a kerb at a left hand corner and had to stop twice to replace punctured front and rear right tyres.

Having dropped to 10th, Andreas had worked his way up to 8th before the rally was stopped one stage before scheduled.

Andreas: “It’s been a difficult weekend with a lot of difficult tyre choices, which I don’t think anyone has got right all of the time. I went in a new direction with my set-up before the rally, and maybe that wasn’t the way to go because the car felt better on Leg 2 when we changed it back. I struggled a little in the wet, but in the dry I felt more confident and I was a lot more competitive. A lot of the time I was happy with my performance. The team did a fantastic job, the Fabia S2000 was perfect and we scored what may prove to be some very important points.”

Final positions (provisional after SS15)

1. Juho Hänninen/Mikko Markkula (ŠKODA Fabia S2000)….2hrs 11mins 28.2secs
2. Roman Kresta/Petr Gross (ŠKODA Fabia S2000)….+1min 43.1secs
3. Tomáš Kostka/Miroslav Houšť (ŠKODA Fabia S2000)….1min +51.8secs
4. Jaromír Tarabus/Daniel Trunkát (ŠKODA Fabia S2000)….+4mins 11.7secs
5. Robert Barrable/Stuart Loudon (ŠKODA Fabia S2000)….+4mins 33.6secs
6. Karl Kruuda/Martin Järveoja (ŠKODA Fabia S2000)….+5mins 03.0secs
7. Andreas Aigner/Ilka Minor (Subaru Impreza)….+5mins 34.6secs
8. Andreas Mikkelsen/Ola Fløene (ŠKODA Fabia S2000)….+5mins 36.8secs
9. Michał Sołowow/Maciej Baran (Peugeot 207 S2000)….+6mins 18.7secs
10. Sepp Wiegand/Timo Gottschalk (ŠKODA Fabia S2000)….+7mins 21.8secs

IRC points (provisional after Round 9)
Drivers’

1. Andreas Mikkelsen….136pts
2. Juho Hänninen….93pts
3. Jan Kopecký…83pts
4. Sepp Wiegand….53pts
5. Giandomenico Basso….40pts
6. Patrik Flodin….28pts

Article source: www.skoda.co.uk

Today, ŠKODA AUTO launched the production of the new ŠKODA Rapid in Mladá Boleslav. At the end of September, the ŠKODA Rapid will celebrate its world premiere at the Paris Motor Show. The newest model series is of central importance for ŠKODA’s growth strategy and will be introduced into European markets in October this year.

“The launch of the series production of the ŠKODA Rapid is a special moment for us,” emphasised ŠKODA’s chairman of the board, Prof. Dr. h.c. Winfried Vahland. “Today, we give the green light for the series production of the new class of ŠKODA. The car sets new standards in the compact class and is an important pillar of our growth strategy. The entire ŠKODA team has worked with great commitment toward this day – starting today; the new Rapid will roll off the assembly line. This car will appeal highly to our customers and strengthen the position of ŠKODA in international markets even further,” said Dr. Vahland.

The ŠKODA Rapid is the third model to be built at Mladá Boleslav along with Fabia and Octavia. ŠKODA is currently modernising and expanding essential production areas in its main plant for the production of the Rapid and the next generation Octavia. The production capacity of assembly line one in Mladá Boleslav will be increased from 800 to 1,200 vehicles per day as a result. “This expansion, while production continues simultaneously on both lines, is a logistical and engineering masterstroke of our production, planning and logistical teams,” said Michael Oeljeklaus, the ŠKODA board member for production and logistics. “We will successfully realise a fundamental expansion of capacities in our main plant with this.”

In order to launch the production of the ŠKODA Rapid, various measures will be implemented and a total of 173 individual projects will be undertaken simultaneously. These involve more than 141 planners and 2,000 employees from external companies. The original assembly line will receive new facilities for the assembly of the ŠKODA Rapid including new testing facilities, conveying systems and handling technologies. After the expansion of the production halls, the assembly line will have grown by almost one third.

ŠKODA will continue its construction measures and the expansion of the logistical capacities in Mladá Boleslav, due to the upcoming production launch of the new ŠKODA Octavia . In the first half year of 2012, the brand manufactured approximately 530,000 vehicles worldwide.

The ŠKODA Rapid has a lot of space, an expressive design, an excellent price/performance ratio, comprehensive safety equipment and economic engines (five petrol and two diesel options). The Rapid will sit between the Fabia and the Octavia in the brands seven-car range. It is part of the high-volume compact car segment, which represents about 36 percent of the global automobile market (within this segment - the ‘A-segment’ – 42 percent are hatch). According to industry experts, the number of sold vehicles of this type will increase by approximately 50 percent up until 2020.

With its compact dimensions (a length of 4.48 meters and width of 1.7 meters), the ŠKODA Rapid has an outstanding amount of space and room for five passengers and their luggage. With plenty of headroom, legroom and an impressive boot volume the ŠKODA Rapid represents the benchmark in this vehicle segment. The Rapid is also complemented by numerous Simply Clever solutions.

In October 2012, the ŠKODA Rapid will make its debut in European markets. In 2013, this will be followed by a special version for customers in China, which is to be to be produced locally. Also, the production of the Rapid for the Russian market at the Volkswagen plant in Kaluga is planned for the beginning of 2014. With the ŠKODA Rapid, the Czech manufacturer wants to primarily attract families who are looking for a spacious main car at an affordable price with the usual ŠKODA quality.

The ŠKODA Rapid expresses the newly developed ŠKODA design language: Perfect proportions, fresh and cleanly modeled surfaces and sharply drawn lines leading to an attractive, elegant overall appearance. The front end shows the innovative interpretation of the brands typical design features: The new ŠKODA logo appears confidently on the harmoniously rounded front end of the bonnet. Pure emotion is also conveyed by the lateral shape of the car body. Among the important characteristics of the Rapid is the large tailgate, allowing for optimal loading of the 550 litre boot. When the rear bench is folded down, the boot volume increases to up to 1,490 litres, a record in its class. The rear lights, in the brands typical C-form and the new brand logo, guarantee the distinctiveness of the ŠKODA Rapid.

Article source: www.skoda.co.uk