200 ŠKODA FABIA R5 sold to customers worldwide, ŠKODA crews successful around the globe

› ŠKODA FABIA R5 is the most successful motorsport car in the history of ŠKODA AUTO

› Car number 200 delivered to ŠKODA customer team SRT from Latvia

› 89 private ŠKODA teams of 30 countries achieved 414 victories and won 14 national titles

in 2017 alone with the ŠKODA FABIA R5

› During the 2018 season ŠKODA factory crews already won four out of five rounds of the

FIA World Rally Championship (WRC 2)

Mladá Boleslav, 16 May 2018 – The success story of the ŠKODA FABIA R5 continues,

recently car number 200 was delivered to a customer. At the workshop of ŠKODA

Motorsport in Mladá Boleslav Marcis Kenavs, Team Manager of ŠKODA customer team

Sports Racing Technologies (SRT), symbolically received the keys for the team’s sixth

ŠKODA FABIA R5. Homologated on 1 April 2015, the ŠKODA FABIA R5 started its unique

success story.

Customers like SRT successfully compete with the ŠKODA FABIA R5 in rallies around the globe.

But the Czech rally car not only is a commercial success, the ŠKODA FABIA R5 also is racing-wise

the benchmark in its category. In 2017 ŠKODA crews were nearly unbeatable in the FIA World

Rally Championship (WRC 2) as well as in regional and national championships. Five months into

the 2018 season, ŠKODA factory crews already won four out of five rounds of the FIA World Rally

Championship (WRC 2) and are leading the Championship.

Since then 2017 was the most successful year for ŠKODA Motorsport: Pontus Tideland and codriver

Jonas Andersson became WRC 2 Champions, ŠKODA Motorsport also won the WRC 2

Team Championship. Czech Champions Jan Kopecký/Pavel Dresler were the spearhead of in total

14 crews winning their country’s national titles. Furthermore, the FIA Asia-Pacific Rally

Championship (APRC), the FIA Middle East Rally Championship (MERC), the FIA South American

Rally Championship (CODASUR) and the FIA African Rally Championship (ARC) were won by

teams competing in a ŠKODA FABIA R5.

Up to now, 200 ŠKODA FABIA R5 have been delivered to 89 customers in 30 countries. Until now

they achieved 414 victories, participating in rallies in 57 countries. Beside this success story, the

rally car from Mladá Boleslav is as well a true ambassador for the brand worldwide. Although

ŠKODA is officially not yet present on the Japanese car market, the Cusco Team of rally driver

Yuya Sumiyama imported a ŠKODA FABIA R5 to Japan and is currently leading the FIA Asia-

Pacific Rally Championship.

In 2018, ŠKODA Motorsport is even more focused on its customer services. As a result, the new

motorsport season started very promising for ŠKODA customers. In the FIA European Rally

Championship’s U 28 category, with Fabian Kreim (ŠKODA Auto Deutschland), Nikolay Gryazin

(Sports Racing Technolgies/SRT) and Chris Ingram (Toksport WRT) currently no less than three

drivers of ŠKODA FABIA R5 hold the top three spots of the overall standings.

In 14 European countries, the current championship leaders compete with a ŠKODA FABIA R5, but

the success of the Czech rally car is even global. In the FIA Asia-Pacific Rally Championship as

well as in South America (Paraguay), the Middle East (Lebanon) and Africa (Mauritius) currently

ŠKODA crews are holding the top positions of their national championships.

To maintain the global success of the ŠKODA FABIA R5, ŠKODA Motorsport is continuously

improving the competitiveness of its R5 rally car. ŠKODA Head of Motorsport Michal Hrabánek

emphasizes: “In the past, our work on the ŠKODA FABIA R5 focused on reliability. As a result,

during the 2017 WRC season none of the factory cars had to retire due to technical issues. Thanks

to the presence of our works team in the FIA World Rally Championship, we got the experience to

further develop the car, making the ŠKODA FABIA R5 the best car in its category. In 2018 the

competition is even more intense. We are facing new R5 cars from our competitors, but we are well

prepared. For example, we are now offering an engine upgrade to our customer teams, which

improves torque, power output and drivability of the ŠKODA FABIA R5’s power plant.”

ŠKODA Motorsport Overview

ŠKODA has been successful on the motorsport scene since 1901. Be it on the circuit or in rallies, ŠKODA has

celebrated victories and won titles all around the world. Historical highlights include winning the title in the FIA World

Rally Championship (WRC 2) for the first time in 2016, numerous title wins in the FIA European Rally Championship

(ERC), the FIA Asia-Pacific Rally Championship (APRC) and the Intercontinental Rally Challenge (IRC), as well as the

victory in the European Touring Car Championship in 1981. ŠKODA teams have also triumphed in the world’s oldest

and most famous rally, taking several class victories in the legendary Monte Carlo, which was first held in 1911.

The ŠKODA FABIA R5, a high-tech 4x4, was homologated by the International Automobile Federation FIA on 1 April

2015. ŠKODA’s new FABIA R5 is successfully continuing the long tradition of ŠKODA Motorsport. Its predecessor, the

FABIA SUPER 2000, won 50 national and international titles around the world. In the FIA World Rally Championship

(WRC 2) 2016, Esapekka Lappi/Janne Ferm (FIN/FIN) won the title for the Czech car maker. In total, ten of the 2016

season’s races in the World Rally Championship were won by a ŠKODA FABIA R5. ŠKODA drivers Gustavo Saba

(PRY) and Gaurav Gill (IND) also won the continental championships in South America and the Asia-Pacific region at

the wheel of the successful ŠKODA FABIA R5. Nasser Al-Attiyah (QAT) was unbeatable in the Middle East Rally

Championship (MERC), while a further ten national titles also went the way of ŠKODA drivers.

2017 was the most successful year in the history of ŠKODA Motorsport. Works duo Pontus Tidemand/Jonas

Andersson (S/S) became WRC 2 Champions, ŠKODA Motorsport won the Team Championship. Jan Kopecký/Pavel

Dresler (CZ/CZ) won the Czech Rally Championship (MČR) for the third time in a row and are the spearhead of in total

14 crews winning their country’s national titles. Furthermore the FIA Asia-Pacific Rally Championship (APRC), the FIA

South American Rally Championship (CODASUR) and the FIA African Rally Championship (ARC) have been won by

teams competing in a ŠKODA FABIA R5.