ŠKODA MOTORSPORT NEWSLETTER • 3rd issue 2021 120 YEARS ŠKODA MOTORSPORT by Michal Hrabánek, Head of ŠKODA Motorsport ith various activities, later found their way into road cars. In CONTENT: ŠKODA is celebrating this respect, the ŠKODA RE-X1 Kreisel Editorial by Michal Hrabánek, 1 W 120 years in motorsport. is an exciting new challenge. We Head of ŠKODA Motorsport One highlight was our strongly support this project of a fully Technical: Aleš Rada: How to home event, the Rally Bohemia based electric rally car, carrying the engine prepare a ŠKODA FABIA Rally2 in Mladá Boleslav. No less than nine and battery technology of Kreisel evo for hot weather rallies 2 crews competed with support either Electric. The chassis of this concept car, News: Entry Engineering receives directly from ŠKODA Motorsport or modified in our workshop, is based on ŠKODA Fabia Rally2 evo Edition 120 from ŠKODA AUTO Czech Republic. the ŠKODA FABIA Rally2 evo. We At the wheel of a ŠKODA FABIA Rally2 hosted the presentation of the proto- News: ŠKODA RE-X1 Kreisel 3 evo sporting our colours multiple type to international media at the Preview: Estonia Rally (WRC) Czech Rally Champion Jan Kopecký ŠKODA Polygon, our state-of-the-art Review: Rally Poland (ERC) won the event. Also entered by facility for testing future road cars. 4 ŠKODA Motorsport, 21 years old Together with the Austrian Motorsport Review: Rally Liepāja (ERC) Czech talent Dominik Stříteský came Federation AMF we achieved national Review: Rally Bohemia (MČR*) second. And Marco Bulacia Wilkinson homologation for the ŠKODA RE-X1 5 Review: Rally Hustopeče (MČR*) from Bolivia, who actually holds third Kreisel. Supported by ŠKODA Austria, overall in the WRC2 category of it’s set to compete in the Austrian Rally Facts about ŠKODA FABIA Rally2 and ŠKODA FABIA Rally2 evo the FIA World Rally Championship, Championship this weekend at Rallye 6 showed a strong performance as well. Weiz. I can’t wait to see the car on the Other recent Rally Results At ŠKODA Motorsport, we have stages. 7 History: ŠKODA at Rally Bohemia always developed technologies, which For now, enjoy reading this newsletter. * Czech Rally Championship All ŠKODA podium at Rally Bohemia with winners Jan Kopecký/ Jan Hloušek, second placed Dominik Stříteský/Jiří Hovorka and Jan Černý/Petr Černohorský in third • TECHNICAL HEAT RESISTANT ith a string of summer ral- mologated car, the bodywork and lies coming up, the cooling cooling system of the ŠKODA FABIA W system of the ŠKODA Rally2 evo has to be the same no FABIA Rally2 evo has to be ready for matter what event, be it Arctic Rally hot weather. “With ambient tem- in winterly Finland or Acropolis Rally peratures over 30 degrees centi- under the scorching sun of Greece. grade, the load on cooling devices The only way to modify the air stream gets even higher, when the average is by blocking off certain parts of the speed is low and the air flow is limit- openings by covers or tape. ed. We also have to take into account „We also try to give the crew a com- that especially during gravel events fortable temperature, as this directly dust and stones are everywhere and ing. With a 3-way heat exchanger relates to their performance,“ adds can reduce the performance of the between engine water and steering Car Engineer Yannick Willocx. „The radiators,” explains ŠKODA Motor- as well as gearbox oil, we keep also goal is to avoid heat building up in- sport Technical Director Aleš Rada those temperatures under control.“ side the cockpit. Metallic foils on the (photo). “Engine cooling is our main Chief Car Engineer Eric Mommey side and rear windows reflect the concern. The cooling system works takes up: “For brake cooling, the car sun. The crew can use the roof venti- perfect even in hot conditions. The has air-ducts for the front and for the lation and the cockpit fan to have fans and water pump are controlled rear wheels. Further, the rear differ- some extra air circulation.“ according to the coolant tempera- ential is keeping the optimal tem- The crew itself also has to be pre- ture to keep the temperature of en- perature by an oil cooler with electri- pared for the heat, which we saw in gine water in optimal conditions and cal fan, which is controlled by the recent events. But that’s another protect the engine against overheat- Engine Control Unit.“ Being a ho- story. Entry Engineering received a ŠKODA FABIA Rally2 evo Edition 120 at ŠKODA Motorsport headquarters in Mladá Boleslav. Present were (from left to right) Norbert Hampl (Sales ŠKODA Motorsport), David Jareš (ŠKODA Motorsport Head of Customer program), rally driver Filip Mareš and his co-driver Radovan Bucha. The duo took the car out for the first time during Agrotec Petronas Rally Hustopeče and finished third overall. • PREVIEW THE FUTURE STARTS HERE KODA Motorsport, ŠKODA adapted the four-wheel drive compo- mounted as low as possible in the Austria, battery technology nents and the suspension of the chassis and liquid-cooled by Shell Š solutions specialist Kreisel ŠKODA FABIA Rally2 evo. The Kreisel E-Fluids. Kreisel Electric from Rain- Electric and operational partner Baum- high performance lithium-ion battery bach/Austria has also developed schlager Rallye & Racing have teamed has a capacity of 53 kWh. For optimum a stand-alone charging station working up to develop a fully electric rally car – performance, the battery block is with 200 kW to be used during rallies. the ŠKODA RE-X1 Kreisel. Based on a ŠKODA FABIA Rally2 evo bodyshell The fully electric ŠKODA RE-X1 Kreisel the car is powered by an 860 volts will compete against system delivering up to 500 kW peak standard Rally2 cars in power via two e-motors and two the Austrian Rally differentials to all four wheels. The Championship ŠKODA RE-X1 Kreisel is homologated to compete in the Austrian Rally Championship with an output of 260 kW. To manage the different power charac- teristics and the roughly 100 kilograms higher weight, ŠKODA Motorsport Sharing a Toksport WRT ŠKODA FULL THROTTLE FABIA Rally2 evo Andreas Mikkelsen and co-driver Ola Fløene from Norway IN ESTONIA want to strengthen their lead in category WRC2 ith Rally Estonia, the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) enters the second W half of the season. The Tartu based event features 314 kilometres of fast and flowing gravel stages. Finishing second overall back in 2019, WRC2 leader Andreas Mikkelsen at the wheel of a ŠKODA FABIA Rally2 evo is one of the favourites for catego- ry victory. The Norwegian and his Toksport WRT teammate Marco Bulacia from Bolivia, currently third overall in WRC2, face stiff competition from crews driving Rally2 cars from Volkswagen, Citroën, Ford and Hyundai. In WRC3, Kajetan Kajetanowicz chases his third cat- egory win of the season at the wheel of a ŠKODA FABIA Rally2 evo. The opposition includes also a handful of other private ŠKODA drivers, namely lo- cal hero Raul Jeets (Team Sports Racing Technolo- gies/SRT) as well as from Finland Mikko Heikkilä (TGS Worldwide) and Toksport WRT’s Emil Lind- holm. A newcomer to ŠKODA definitely to watch is three times European Rally Champion Alexey Lukya- nuk. The “Russian rocket” competes in a team Sports Racing Technologies ŠKODA FABIA Rally2 evo. • REVIEW Local heroes Mikołaj Marczyk/ Szymon Gospodarczyk drove Team Orlen’s ŠKODA FABIA Rally2 evo to third overall THE GLORIOUS SEVEN ith the calendar still heavily Norwegian Andreas Mikkelsen start- ahead of multiple Hungarian champi- affected by COVID-19, it ed into his ERC campaign by driving on Norbert Herczig/Ramón Ferencz of W took until the second half of the Toksport WRT entered ŠKODA ŠKODA Rally Team Hungaria and Rally June, before the FIA European Rally FABIA Rally2 evo to second overall. Team Spain’s second young gun, Efrén Championship (ERC) kicked off the Finishing third overall, local hero Llarena. 2021 season with Rally Poland. With Mikołaj Marczyk in Team Orlen’s simi- First run in 1921, Rally Poland is the the ultra-fast gravel roads of Masurian lar machine climbed onto the podium second oldest rally still in existence be- Lake District baking in temperatures as well. Nil Solans, the FIA Junior hind 1911 founded Rallye Monte-Carlo. peaking at 35 degrees centigrade, sev- World Rally Champion of 2017, As a homage to the event’s roots, the en ŠKODA crews finished inside the brought Rally Team Spain’s ŠKODA finish was relocated to the country’s top 10. FABIA Rally2 evo home in fourth place capital Warsaw. NOT ONLY SECONDS COUNT ndreas Mikkelsen definitely was one of the fastest Four more private ŠKODA crews made into top 10, includ- drivers of Rally Liepāja, second round of the FIA ing Mikołaj Marczyk/Szymon Gospodarczyk (Team Orlen) A European Rally Championship (ERC) in Latvia. The from Poland in sixth overall, Finns Eerik Pietarinen/Antti Lin- Norwegian at the wheel of a Toksport WRT prepared naketo (Printsport) in seventh, Emilio Fernández/Ruben ŠKODA FABIA Rally2 evo won two of the ten actually run Garcia (Toksport WRT) in ninth and Simone Tempestini/ stages and was fastest driver of the second leg. But a bi- Sergiu Itu in tenth. zarre misunderstanding between co-driver Ola Fløene and a timekeeper resulted in a one minute time penalty for the Norwegian crew. Instead of finishing second overall, Mik- kelsen/Fløene were relegated to fifth position. Neverthe- less, Mikkelsen holds ERC second overall after two rounds. In contrast, their young Toksport WRT teammates Efrén Llarena/Sara Fernándes enjoyed a trouble-free rally. The Spanish ŠKODA FABIA Rally2 evo crew achieved a strong fourth position overall, at the same time winning the Efrén Llarena and co-driver Sara Fernándes from Spain finished ERC-Michelin Talent Factory.