The 2016 Skoda Fabia R 5 has been given the green-light to compete in the 2016 World Rally Championship, taking over from the Fabia Super 2000.
SKODA WILL SEE its 114 year history in motorsport continue with the news its 2016 Fabia R 5 rally car has received approval from the International Automobile Federation FIA.
“We are delighted that the International Automobile Federation FIA has given us the green light. Now we can prove just how good our new rally car is in the race series,” said Skoda Board Member for Development Dr Frank Welsch.
“When working on the third-generation production Fabia, which enjoyed an extremely successful start, we incorporated some of the genes from our rally cars and developed the most emotive Fabia ever. Conversely, the production model now formed the basis for the new Fabia R 5.”
The Skoda Fabia R 5 is equipped with a 1.6-litre turbocharged engine., a change from the Fabia Super 2000’s 2.0-litre engine, the new all-wheel drive car also features a five-speed sequential gearbox and McPherson struts. And it weights 1230kg.
“We are happy that we now have the homologation from the International Automobile Federation FIA under our belt,” said ŠKODA Motorsport Director Michal Hrabánek. “The development of our new rally hope was a tiring process and a major challenge for the entire team at Skoda Motorsport, to whom I would like to say a big thank you.”
Top drivers such as Asia-Pacific champion Jan Kopecký (CZ), European champion Esapekka Lappi (FIN), rally legend “Fast” Freddy Loix (B) and multiple Austrian champion Raimund Baumschlager (AT) provided valuable input during the development of the new rally car. In the run up to the homologation, about 10,000 kilometres of testing were completed on a wide range of roads and conditions, including in the Czech Republic, Austria, Germany, Italy, France, Greece, Spain and Finland.
Other brands, like Hyundai are continuing to develop their rally car for the 2016 season.
