Wales Rally GB: Game, set and WRC 2 Pro titles* for ŠKODA’s Kalle Rovanperä and Jonne Halttunen

› With two more rounds to go in the FIA World Rally Championship 2019, ŠKODA factory

crew Kalle Rovanperä/ Jonne Halttunen (ŠKODA FABIA R5 evo) prematurely won the

world champion titles of the WRC 2 Pro Championship*

› ŠKODA works crew Jan Kopecký/Jan Hloušek finished second in WRC 2 Pro in Wales

› ŠKODA Motorsport further increased lead in WRC 2 Pro manufacturers’ standings

Llandudno, 6 October 2019 – ŠKODA FABIA R5 evo crew Kalle Rovanperä/Jonne Halttunen

(FIN/FIN) won the WRC 2 Pro category at Wales Rally GB (03/10/–06/10/2019), thus securing

the WRC 2 Pro drivers’ titles* already two rounds before the final of the FIA World Rally

Championship 2019. Thanks to additional points collected by their teammates Jan Kopecký

(CZE) and co-driver Jan Hloušek (CZE), ŠKODA Motorsport could further increase the lead

in the WRC 2 Pro manufacturers’ standings.

Driving a factory ŠKODA FABIA R5 evo, Kalle Rovanperä and Jonne Halttunen dominated the

WRC 2 Pro competition at Rally Wales GB right from the start. Only a puncture during the second

but last stage on Friday made them drop to second position temporarily. They moved back into the

category lead on Saturday morning, defending that position right to the finish line on Sunday. After

WRC 2 Pro victories at the WRC rounds in Chile, Portugal, Sardinia and Finland, it was season win

number five for the Finnish crew. With a points total of 176 and only the WRC rounds in Spain and

Australia remaining, they cannot be caught in the WRC 2 Pro driver’s standings any more.

Despite a puncture and a roll, Jan Kopecký and co-driver Jan Hloušek ended Wales Rally GB in

second place of the WRC 2 Pro category, helping ŠKODA Motorsport to further enlarge the lead in

the category’s manufacturers’ standings. Both ŠKODA factory crews nursed their ŠKODA FABIA

R5 evo cautiously over the five stages of Sunday, which covered 38.42 competitive kilometres. “I

think, we just need to enjoy the stages and bring the car carefully to the finish,” Kalle Rovanperä

said. And so he did, cheered by the team of ŠKODA Motorsport on the podium in Llandudno for

winning the category and also prematurely securing the drivers’ title of the WRC 2 Pro category.

“It is simply a great day for all of us. I have to thank Kalle, Jonne, both Jans, the whole team of

engineers and mechanics and all persons, who with their efforts made this success possible. I am

happy, that we could master this challenging event so well and that our ŠKODA FABIA R5 evo was

performing without any weaknesses,” ŠKODA Motorsport boss Michal Hrabánek emphasized.

*subject to the publication of the offic ial results by the FIA

Result Wales Rally GB (R5 cars)

1. Rovanperä/Halttunen (FIN/FIN), ŠKODA FABIA R5 evo, 3:11:49.1 h**

2. P. Solberg/Mills (NOR/GBR), VW Polo GTI R5, +45.0 sec.*

3. Cave/Furniss (GBR/GBR), Hyundai i20 R5, +59.7 sec.

4. Loubet/Landais (FRA/FRA), ŠKODA FABIA R5 evo, +1:03.8 min.*

5. Gryazin/Fedorov (RUS/RUS), ŠKODA FABIA R5 evo, +1:08.9 min.

6. Katsuta/Barrit (JPN/GBR), Ford Fiesta R5 MK II, +3:21.5 min.

7. Fourmaux/Jamoul (FRA/BEL), Ford Fiesta R5, +3:35.6 min.*

8. Bulacia-Wilkinson/Cretu (BOL/ARG), ŠKODA FABIA R5, +3:53.9 min.*

9. Andolfi/Inglesi (ITA/ITA), ŠKODA FABIA R5, +4:37.9 min.*

10. Kopecký/Hloušek (CZE/CZE), ŠKODA FABIA R5 evo, +4:47.0 min.**

**Factory nominated crews eligible to score points in the WRC 2 Pro category

*Private teams nominated for the WRC 2 category

Championship Standings WRC 2 Pro/Drivers (after 12 of 14 rounds)

1. Kalle Rovanperä (FIN), ŠKODA, 176 points

2. Gus Greensmith (GBR), Ford, 125 points

3. Mads Østberg (NOR), Citroën, 120 points

4. Jan Kopecký (CZE), ŠKODA, 97 points

Championship Standings WRC 2 Pro/Manufacturers (after 12 of 14 rounds)

1. ŠKODA, 300 points

2. Ford, 247 points

3. Citroën, 120 points

Number of the day: 2

With two rounds remaining in the FIA World Rally Championship 2019, ŠKODA FABIA R5 evo crew

Kalle Rovanperä/Jonne Halttunen (FIN/FIN) cannot be caught in the WRC 2 Pro championship any

more.

The calendar of the 2019 FIA World Rally Championship (WRC 2 Pro)

Event Date

Monte-Carlo 24/01/–27/01/2019

Sweden 14/02/–17/02/2019

Mexico 07/03/–10/03/2019

France 28/03/–31/03/2019

Argentina 25/04/–28/04/2019

Chile 09/05/–12/05/2019

Portugal 30/05/–02/06/2019

Italy 13/06/–16/06/2019

Finland 01/08/–04/08/2019

Germany 22/08/–25/08/2019

Turkey 12/09/–15/09/2019

Great Britain 03/10/–06/10/2019

Spain 24/10/–27/10/2019

Australia 14/11/–17/11/2019

Catherine Van Geel

PR Manager, D'Ieteren NV

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