• Both ŠKODA Motorsport's factory crews to appear on the start line
  
• ŠKODA tops the current standings of the Manufacturers category of the IRC
  
• Scheduled for 12-13 October, the San Remo Rally is the penultimate event of the IRC
  

Mladá Boleslav, 10 October, 2012 – European Rally Champions and Czech Rally Champions will represent ŠKODA Motorsport (factory team) at the penultimate event of this year´s IRC. European champions Juho Hänninen & Mikko Markkula and Czech champions Jan Kopecky and Pavel Dresler will appear at the 54th San Remo Rally, a legendary asphalt event. Shortly before the end of this season, ŠKODA is in the lead of the Manufacturers category the IRC.

Commenting on the upcoming event, Juho Hänninen, the only driver worldwide to have won the IRC, the World Championship (SWRC) and the European Championship (ERC), says: “San Remo is a great rally, one of the oldest and most famous ones, and no doubt the IRC event with the highest quality of local drivers. Our ambition is to win as many points for ŠKODA as possible, but we realise that it will be a difficult job”.

Jan Kopecky who dominated the Czech Rally Championship and has won two IRC events this year adds: “San Remo is a very technical rally, the drivers have to change the rhythm all the time and the stages are rather long, which is quite demanding in terms of concentration. Our ambition here is to succeed - it is a big challenge for us.”

Made up of ten special stages (204 kilometres), the San Remo Rally is the penultimate event of this year´s IRC Championship. With 44 kilometres in total, the final stage of Friday´s leg (night-time) is the longest special stage of the entire IRC series.

ŠKODA has been doing extremely well in 2012, and is still in the game to win a triple – after winning the European Championship (Juho Hänninen/Mikko Markkula) and the Czech Championship (Jan Kopecky/Pavel Dresler), ŠKODA is the hottest favourite for winning the IRC where it is in the lead of the Manufacturers category and Andreas Mikkelsen of ŠKODA UK Motorsport tops the current standings of the Drivers category.

Looks like one got diverted into the building trade

http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/blogs/world-of-sport/rally-star-ends-someone-roof-112313878.html

TP