Kopecky repeated the triumph after two years
PRESS RELEASE no. 45
Jan Kopecky and his co-driver Petr Stary (Skoda Fabia S2000) repeated the feelings of the winner of the Barum Czech Rally Zlin after two years. They also celebrated the huge success of the Skoda brand. The second place was taken by Freddy Loix and Frederic Miclotte from Belgium and the third place was taken by Juho Hanninen and Mikko Markkula from Finland, all with Skoda Fabia S2000. There were seven Skodas in top ten.
The spectators enjoyed the incredible fight until the very last metres of the special stage. After fifteen stages the difference between the first and second place is only 1.2 second. “We’re very happy. This is not only victory of us or Skoda but also of the fans who pushed us forward and cheered everywhere along the route. It gave us wings. At the end it was really dramatic but we tried to stay calm and focus on driving. I think that Freddy, Juho as well as I went in a style either or. When I realized that we won the whole rally, I had tears in my eyes,“ admitted Kopecky. He and Stary were not stopped even by Sunday’s problems with the servo. “Fortunately, the malfunction wasn’t so serious. I think we managed to repair it in ten minutes,“ said Kopecky’s co-driver Petr Stary.
Freddy Loix could have become the fourth driver in the Barum Rally’s history who would have won the rally three times. So far that was only achieved by Haugland, Bertone and Kresta. Loix only needed a few metres to win. The first part did not suit Loix but since SS6 he sped up a lot and performed a dramatic fight with Jan Kopecky. “It was a fantastic race, in which we finished on the second place. I think we missed just centimetres. At first we were struggling with the set-up. On Saturday afternoon and on Sunday it was alright and we were fully at it. I wouldn’t have wanted to be on the co-driver’s place. But if Kopecky hadn’t had problems with the servo on Sunday morning, he would have easily won,“ said Loix.
Juho Hanninen expressed the highest ambitions before the start of the rally. Two years ago he was on the third place, last year he was second and he wanted to complete the collection with a victory this year. However, the third place wasn’t a big disappointment for him anyway. “It wasn’t completely according to our plans but it’s not a bad place among the competition that was here. The championship points are very valuable. The atmosphere was great here again. We’ll try again next year. It may work out then,“ said Hanninen. His co-driver knew what decided the result in the finish. “The point was not to make a mistake. Jan Kopecky made the fewest and that’s why he won,“ said Mikko Markkula.
Final standings of the Barum Czech Rally Zlin 2011:
1. Kopecký, Starý (CZE, Škoda Fabia S2000) 2:15:51.7 hour
2. Loix, Miclotte (BEL, Škoda Fabia S2000) + 1.2 s
3. Hänninen, Markkula (FIN, Škoda Fabia S2000) + 37.4 s
4. Neuville, Gilsoul (BEL, Peugeot 207 S2000) + 1:59.6 min
5. Mikkelsen, Floene (NOR, Škoda Fabia S2000) + 2:05.7 min
6. Gardemeister, Suominen (FIN, Škoda Fabia S2000) + 3:43.2 min
7. Breen, Roberts (IRL/GBR, Ford Fiesta S2000) + 3:47.4 min
8. Kresta, Gross (CZE, Škoda Fabia S2000) + 4:21.5 min
9. Andersson, Axelsson (SWE, Proton Satria Neo S2000) + 4:41.1 min
10. Kruuda, Järveoja (EST, Škoda Fabia S2000) + 4:54.4 min
2WD Class:
1. Albertini, Scattolin (ITA, Renault Clio R3) 2:29:34.6 hours
Production cars:
1. Orsák, Vajík (CZE, Mitsubishi Lancer EVO IX R4) 2:23:48.0 hours
ENGLISH
