Seems like an awfully big car to go touring car racing with...

From Autosport.com:

Skoda joins ETCC for 2003

Superb set for racing debut

Skoda is to make a shock return to the FIA European Touring Car Championship with two of its new Superb models.

The Skoda Autospektrum Racing Team has built the cars to the FIA Super 2000 technical specifications in close cooperation with the Skoda Motorsport factory. They will be driven by Czech drivers Petr Kolar, 22, and Ondrej Navratil, 28. Both were frontrunners in the Skoda Octavia Cup. The team has also prepared and run Skoda Octavia WRC cars in the European and the Czech Rally Championships.

"The victories of the WRC cars should be a good basis from which to start for this new programme," said team boss Otakar Zenkl. "We have great expectations for this participation in the FIA ETCC and we hope to create some surprises, opening a new and interesting chapter in the 100-year-old tradition of Skoda motorsport."

The team has planned an intensive testing programme in order to be ready for the first meeting of the season, at Barcelona on April 6. This will mark the Czech manufacturer's comeback to the ETCC - in 1981, Skoda won the overall manufacturers' title with a team of three 130RS 1.3-litre works cars driven by a group of Czech drivers, which included Bretislav Enge (Tomas's father) and Zdenek Vojtech.

Cool, caught a couple of rounds of the ETCC last year, very BTCCesque racing, will have to catch more if there is a Skoda to cheer along!!

Cool, caught a couple of rounds of the ETCC last year, very BTCCesque racing, will have to catch more if there is a Skoda to cheer along!![/quote:e73e415968]

I wonder if this means Skoda will eventually build an ETCC edition Superb for Joe Public to buy...

Is this the series featured in Eurosports 'Super Racing weekends'? Hopefully it is , ill have to look out for the Superbs!! Its a pity they didnt use the Octavia RS , I would have thought that this race program would have been an ideal way of some Europe wide advertising for the car.

Agreed, but like if they start using the fabia for rallying, it will still be great to cheer along the racing skoda's - show's an intention to show the public a sporting side of Skoda also.

8)

Ian

The Fabia WRC is due to be used on the last 3 WRC events of this year , i think mainly to iron out any bugs , before a full scale assault in 2004. The Fabia WRC will use no major parts from the Octavia , its an almost 'all new' car , so these 3 events should show up any weaknesses. So the Superb will be racing in the ETCC this year , the Fabia we know about , what of the Octavia? Will there be no major useage of the Octy in motorsport after this season? Maybe they are waiting for the new bodyshell before any more Octavia based activities? Personally I'd love to see them in the BTCC!!!

...maybe I could have words with the "St Johns" team about running a couple of octavias