Jänner Rally Dominated By ŠKODA Fabia Super 2000s

›  Jänner Rally final standings: 1. Kopecký, 2. Hänninen +40.1

›  Kopecký & Dresler of ŠKODA Motorsport won the opening event of the European and Czech Championships

›  The rally was a dramatic spectacle in rough winter conditions

Freistadt, 7. ledna 2012 – Taking place in the surroundings of the Austrian town of Freistadt, the opening event of the European and Czech Championships, the Jänner Rally, has been dominated by ŠKODA Motorsport and Fabia Super 2000s.  After a dramatic spectacle, Jan Kopecký & Pavel Dresler of ŠKODA Motorsport won and their teammates Juho Hänninen & Mikko Markkula came second. In addition to the factory team's success, Raimund Baumschlager in a private Fabia Super 2000 finished fourth, only 0.2 sec behind third-placed Beppo Harrach. The event offered rough winter conditions, i.e. heavy snowfalls and an ice-covered track.

The drivers had to cope with typical winter conditions right from the beginning – the roads were covered with snow and ice in many places, which made life difficult mainly for those who were among the first ones to appear on the track. In particular, ŠKODA Motorsport's Juho Hänninen with No. 1 had to struggle hard. Hänninen showed a breath-taking finish on Day 1, working his way up from 16^th to take the lead at the end of the first leg. However, persistent snowfall caused him to lose his lead in the second leg - as the leader after Day 1, Juho was again the first driver to get on the road covered with ice and snow, and lost valuable seconds by “cleaning” the track. Regarding the rough conditions he had to face, his second place is indeed a great result. His teammate Jan Kopecký who has a new co-driver this season, Pavel Dresler, also had a low start number and was therefore in a similarly difficult situation on Day 1. Yet he moved up from fifth to third place after the first leg. Keeping their rhythm also on Day 2, Kopecký & Dresler took the lead after Saturday's third stage and won the whole rally in the end. 

Head of ŠKODA Motorsport Michal Hrabánek: “This was our first appearance at the Jänner Rally and it is really a difficult and unpredictable winter event. We have made a good start to this season by winning the first two places”.

Jan Kopecký: “The conditions were rough throughout this event, but our performance gradually got better. I'd like to thank the whole team for preparing the car perfectly. It's great that my new co-driver Pavel Dressler and I are celebrating victory in this difficult rally, right at the beginning of the new season”.

Juho Hänninen: “We started Day 2 as the leaders, but the heavy snowfall had a negative impact on our speed. Anyway, the Jänner Rally is a lovely but difficult rally, and finishing second here is certainly a good result”.

In addition to the main agenda, the Jänner Rally programme included a 2011 European Championship zone winners ceremony. The winners of the South-West European zone are Juho Hänninen & Mikko Markkula of ŠKODA Motorsport, their teammates Jan Kopecký & Petr Starý finished third.