Škoda Motorsport
Škoda Motorsport is the department of the Czech automobile manufacturer Škoda Auto that is responsible for motorsport activities .
Between 1999 and 2005 the manufacturing team competed in the World Rally Championship and the Intercontinental Rally Challenge (before the merger with the European Rally Championship in 2013). From 1999 to 2005, Škoda Motorsport competed in various categories of the World Rally Championship. The brand has been represented in the WRC2 and Rally2 classes since 2015. In 2020, Škoda Motorsport will mainly support customer teams and young drivers. The team also competes in the Czech Rally Championship.
history
1899–1905: Beginnings in motorcycle racing
Shortly after motorcycle production began in 1899, Laurin & Klement took part in motorcycle racing competitions for marketing purposes. It all started with the race from Paris to Berlin in 1901. In Moravia born Narcis Podsednicek (1866-1932) - First Representative for Slavia - Bicycles and later production manager for two-wheel Laurin & Klement - launched at L & L single-cylinder -Motorrad. He was the first to arrive at the finish line in Berlin on June 30, 1901 at 3 a.m. , but the official timekeeping was still closed. Although Podsednicek had the police confirm the arrival time, his victory was not officially recognized. In the years that followed, L&K motorcycles achieved numerous race victories in several European countries. The most important of these was the success of Václav Vondřich in 1905 at the Coupe Internationale in Dourdan, France . This race was considered the unofficial world championship at the time. Vondřich won on a motorcycle with a V2 engine and 693 cm³ displacement .
1908–1914: International successes before the First World War
In the same year the company started building automobiles . L&K soon used this in motorsport too, especially in popular hill climbs and endurance races as well as in circuit races . In 1908, Otto Hieronimus set a speed record of 118.72 km / h in the 95 hp four-cylinder Laurin & Klement FCS racing car in Brooklands, England . Another well-known racing driver associated with the brand was Count Alexander Joseph Kolowrat-Krakowsky (1886–1927). After his first motorcycle races, the son of a Bohemian aristocratic family won his first automobile race in a Laurin & Klement FC at the Semmering hill climb in Lower Austria in 1907 . Numerous victories followed, including in 1910, 1912, 1913 and 1914 in the up to 2,932 km long Alpine tour.
1925–1936: First starts at the Monte Carlo Rally
The automotive division of the Pilsen-based Škoda Group , with which L&K merged in 1925, did not operate any motorsport. It was not until 1934, when the new model families Popular , Rapid , Favorit and Superb were launched , that Škoda Auto equipped two teams for the Alpine tour and won two gold medals with aerodynamically modified Popular Six Coupés. This success motivated the company to take part in the Monte Carlo Rally in 1936 with a special edition, the Popular Monte Carlo Rally, which received the larger 1,380 cc machine of the Rapid. Zdeněk Pohl and co-driver Jaroslav Hausman came second in the class up to 1,500 cm³ and 20th in the overall classification.
1946–1960: Racing car based on the Škoda 1101 “Tudor” and return to the Monte Carlo Rally
After the Second World War , the new Škoda 1101 , known as the “Tudor” because of its two-door layout, formed the basis for the brand's further participation in races. The series model, released in 1946, started in long-distance drives and rallies . In 1950, Škoda built the 966 Sport and Supersport on the chassis of the 1101 for racing . The two-seater 1101 Sport with a pontoon body and headlights started in the sports car class. After removing and covering the front passenger seat and dismantling the fenders, the single-seat version 966 Supersport was eligible to start in the racing car class. Depending on the intended use, the 966 models were fitted with engines with a displacement of 1,100, 1,200 or 1,500 cm³. The units received aluminum cylinder heads with a hemispherical combustion chamber . The naturally aspirated engine with two carburetors achieved up to 90 hp, the more powerful versions with one or even two compressors achieved up to 180 hp. The driver duo Václav Bobek and Jaroslav Netušil competed in the second post-war edition of the Le Mans 24-hour race in a Škoda Sport in 1950 . As a successor, the company built four copies of the 1100 OHC for circuit racing in 1960 . Unlike the previous Sport and Supersport models, which were based on the chassis of the 1101 series model, the 1100 OHC is a pure prototype. The structural basis is a tubular space frame welded from thin-walled tubes . In the "Sport" version, the two-seater had a flat, open body made of glass fiber reinforced plastic (GRP), while the "Coupé" version had a closed aluminum structure.
In the same year, the brand returned to the Monte Carlo Rally with a 55 hp version of the new mid-range Octavia model . The Octavia 1200 TS impressed with second place in its class in 1960 and 1962, and in 1961 the Finns Esko Keinänen and Rainer Eklund even took sixth place overall with a standard Octavia TS.
1964–1972: rally versions of the new rear-wheel drive family and two-seater sports prototypes
With the appearance of the new generation of rear engines, the Škoda 1000 MB in 1964, the company built rally versions with 1,000 cm³ (45 hp) and 1,100 cm³ (with double carburettors up to 55 hp) for various rating classes. Škoda installed the engine of the 1000 MB in a Formula 3 chassis in 1966 . This Škoda F3 was further developed in 1967 to the aerodynamically revised Škoda Lucia F3 with a distinct wedge shape. The F3, equipped with a 90 hp mid-engine , weighed only 410 kg and reached a top speed of 210 km / h. In 1968 Škoda won the Eastern European Formula 3 championship with works driver Miroslav Fousek.
In mid-1969, Škoda began series production of the 100 and 110 model series . Their body design was significantly more streamlined than the 1000 MB, and for the first time they had disc brakes on the front axle. The motorsport versions derived from the Škoda 100 drove successfully in the division up to 1,000 cm³ of the European Touring Car Championship and in rallies. The more powerful 110 L rally, of which Škoda also launched a small series for private teams, started at international events. The increasing engine performance of the competition versions required improved cooling. For this reason, in the Škoda 120 S Rallye, which appeared in 1972, the water cooler was moved from the rear to the front trunk and the front was given a grille . The forced circulation water cooling improved the temperature balance of the four-cylinder, and the vehicle also had a better weight distribution. Thanks to dry sump lubrication , modified camshaft timing , modified inlet and outlet ports and other tuning measures , the 1.3-liter unit achieved up to 120 hp. That corresponds to an output of 94 hp per liter - an extraordinary yield for the early 1970s.
The 1972 Škoda Spider I (Type 728), a two-seater sports prototype with an aluminum body, was also based on the chassis of the 100 model series. The engines from 1,600 to 1,800 to 2,000 cm³ came from the large 720 type sedan, which was never mass-produced. Škoda used the Spider I in circuit races until 1976, although the significantly more powerful Spider II was already completed in 1975. This racing car, known internally as the Type 733, had a self-supporting aluminum monocoque , a 2.0 liter OHC engine and a racing transmission from the English specialist Hewland . Aviation experts helped design the plastic body.
1972–1981: The first RS prototypes and the Škoda 130 RS
With the Coupé 110 R , Škoda brought a sporty vehicle onto the market in 1972, which many private drivers used as a basis for rallies. In 1974 the works team resorted to the sports coupé to develop two prototypes with which Škoda wanted to show off in the larger-capacity classes of international rallying: the 180 RS and the 200 RS. The engines with 1,771 and 1,997 cm³ displacement were derived from the all-aluminum OHC engine of the type 720. On the body of the 110 R, the developers lowered the roof, lowered the wheel arches and widened them to accommodate a front axle with a wider track. The five-speed gearbox came - after bad experience with a Tatra 603 gearbox - from Porsche , the chassis kinematics was optimized with the help of an early IBM computer. To reduce the weight of the vehicle, the roof, front hood and doors were made of aluminum, the rear hood was made of GRP, and the side and rear windows were made of Plexiglas. Like the 120 S, the RS prototypes received a radiator in the front. Disc brakes from the British specialist Girling were first used at the front and later also on the rear axle. The motorsport department built two 200 RS and one 180 RS. The vehicles weighed barely more than 800 kg and reached top speeds of up to 210 km / h.
Since prototypes were no longer permitted in international rallying from 1975, Škoda used its experience with the first RS models to develop a series-based motorsport model, the 130 RS (internal type 738). The body again came from the 110 R, the 120 S supplied the 1,174 cm³ engine, while the chassis and transmission were adopted by the coupé from the RS prototypes. Once again, the roof, front hood and door skins were made of aluminum, the bonnet and widened fenders made of fiberglass-reinforced plastic and the windows made of Macrolon . In 1977, Škoda achieved their greatest international motorsport success to date with the rear-engined coupé: at the Monte Carlo Rally, the works team with the driver pairings Václav Blahna / Lubislav Hlávka and Milan Zapadlo / Jiří Motal scored a double victory in group 2 to 1,300 cc. To mark the 40th anniversary of this success, Škoda sent the factory team's two Fabia R5s to the Monte Carlo Rally in 1977 with the decor. With the circuit version of the 130 RS, Škoda won the brand title of the European Touring Car Championship in 1981.
While the 130 RS became a motorsport legend, at least in Czechoslovakia , one highly interesting sideline was hardly noticed. In 1978 the motorsport department developed a circuit vehicle based on the Silhouette group 5 regulations . The 130 RS A5 (Type 738) was primarily not intended to drive races, but served as a test vehicle for the aerodynamics and technologies of upcoming racing vehicles. In the interests of a flatter front section, oil and water coolers have moved into the wide rear fenders. The entire front section with spoiler, hood and fenders was made in one piece from GRP. In the highest expansion stage, the A5 received a 1.6-liter engine from the Škoda 737 prototype with 16-valve technology and DOHC control , which developed 186 hp and accelerated the vehicle to up to 250 km / h.
1982–1986: The Škoda 130 LR in Group B
When the motorsport homologation of the 130 RS expired, Škoda turned to the very liberal regulations of Group B in the World Rally Championship . The manufacturer chose the best-selling model of its time, the four-door Škoda 130 L of type 742, as the base vehicle . Even if group B was almost exclusively associated with around 500 hp turbo all-wheel drive vehicles, which had little technical resemblance to production models, there were smaller classes such as the B / 9. For this category, Škoda developed the rear-wheel drive 130 LR. Although the all-aluminum engine with a new cylinder head with a displacement of 1.3 liters only mobilized 130 hp, the low weight of 720 kg allowed sporty driving performance and the rear-engine rear-wheel drive layout gave it good traction . Door skins and hoods were made of aluminum. The greatest successes were celebrated by the Norwegian John Haugland , who at the wheel of the Škoda 130 LR achieved class victories in the strong RAC rally in 1985 and 1986. With the prohibition of Group B, which was considered too dangerous, by the World Automobile Federation (FIA) for the 1987 season, the time of the 130 LR ended. For a short time, Škoda still used a 130 L / A according to Group A regulations , then the era of the brand's rear-wheel drive competition vehicles ended.
1989–1998: World Rally Championship with front-wheel drive models
In 1988, Škoda launched the front-wheel drive Favorit 136L and immediately developed a rally version. The series engine with a capacity of 1,289 cm³ was used, which in the competition specification produced 110 hp. The low weight of 794 kg made up for the performance disadvantage in the 2-liter class. In 1990 the favorite started in selected rallies in the World Championship, the European Championship and the Czechoslovak Rally Championship. Step by step, Škoda expanded its involvement, and in 1994 the works team completed all of the World Championship races for the first time. At the Monte Carlo Rally, the Pavel Sibera / Petr Gross crew won their class four times in a row between 1991 and 1994. In 1994, Škoda took the title with the Favorit in the newly created FIA World Cup Formula 2 for vehicles up to 2.0 liters and one driven axle. In addition to the rally variant, there was also a version optimized for circuit racing, which was built by the Mladá Boleslav plant for the Veedol Endurance Championship (VLN) at the Nürburgring at the time. This unique piece had a 1.5 liter OHC four-cylinder engine with around 145 hp and a six-speed gearbox developed by the testing department. The bonnet and fenders were made of plastic and could be removed in one piece, which made accessibility for maintenance work much easier.
For the 1995 season, the FIA renamed the two-liter World Cup Formula 2 (F2) and created much more liberal regulations for two-wheel-drive vehicles. This resulted in the so-called kit cars, of which a manufacturer only had to build a few homologation copies derived from a production car. Škoda developed such a kit car based on the F2 regulations from the favorite successor Felicia, which was presented in 1994 . Pavel Sibera / Petr Gross won the F2 category at the Argentina Rally with the initially 1,491 cm³ and 164 hp four-cylinder . In 1996 the Felicia Kit Car received the new 1.6-liter engine from the Volkswagen group , which developed 180 hp in rally trim. With this specification, Stig Blomqvist finished third overall in the British RAC rally and won the F2 category. At the end of the year, as in 1995, Škoda finished third in the F2 World Cup. The victory of Emil Triner / Julius Gál in Monte Carlo and two further podium places made it into second place in the F2 World Cup in 1997. From mid-1997, in parallel with the Felicia, Škoda used the Octavia compact model presented the year before as a kit car. In 1998, the brand contested a limited world championship program of six rallies without any notable successes, but Emil Triner / Miloš Hůlka won the F2 European rally championship with the around 250 hp 2-liter Octavia
1999-2005: World Rally Cars (WRC)
With the World Rally Cars (WRC) category, newly created in 1997 , the FIA also made it possible for manufacturers to enter the World Championship at the highest level who did not have a standard all-wheel drive with a turbocharger in their product range. Škoda took advantage of this opportunity and started the development program for the Octavia WRC , which was homologated on January 1, 1999. The turbocharged 20-valve engine with a displacement of 1999.3 cm³ mobilized the power of around 300 hp specified by the regulations. The German works driver Armin Schwarz took third place in the 2001 Safari Rally in Kenya. The Octavia WRC also impressed in numerous national championships. Matthias Kahle and co-driver Peter Göbel won the German Rally Championship (DRM) with him in 2002 and 2004 .
In 2001, Škoda began developing the more compact Fabia WRC, which made its world championship debut at the 2003 Rallye Deutschland . It was not until the end of the 2005 season that the works team came close to the top positions when ex-world champion Colin McRae drove on a podium course in Australia up to a failed service. At the end of the season, the works team was dissolved, but in the hands of experienced private teams, the Fabia WRC celebrated considerable success, such as winning the DRM by Kahle / Göbel in 2005 and the German Rallye Series (DRS) the following year.
2009-2014: Fabia Super 2000
In 2009, Škoda returned to international rallying at the factory - with a vehicle that was to become one of the most successful models in rally history. The Fabia Super 2000 complied with the 2006 FIA Super 2000 regulations for all-wheel drive vehicles with naturally aspirated gasoline engines or turbo diesel engines up to 2.0 liters or turbo gasoline engines up to 1.6 liters displacement. The Czech brand decided on a 1,996 cm³ suction gasoline engine that generated around 280 hp. Power was transmitted via a manually shifted sequential six-speed gearbox as well as front and rear differentials without a center differential. After the debut as the lead car at the Barum Rally Zlín 2008, the Fabia Super 2000 started in the Intercontinental Rally Challenge (IRC) from 2009 . With 27 race wins, three manufacturers 'championships and the drivers' titles in 2010 for Juho Hänninen / Mikko Markkula and 2011 and 2012 for Andreas Mikkelsen / Ola Fløene, Škoda and the Fabia Super 2000 became the most successful participants in the IRC by the end of the 2012 series. In the following year the IRC merged with the European Rally Championship (ERC). Hänninen had already won this in 2012 in the Fabia Super 2000, followed by further titles for the vehicle with Jan Kopecký and Esapekka Lappi in 2013 and 2014 . The FIA SWRC World Championship announced as part of the 2011 World Championship races also went to Hänninen in the Fabia Super 2000. Between 2009 and 2014, drivers with this model achieved a total of 50 national and international titles worldwide, including overall victory in the Asia-Pacific Rally Championship (APRC) 2012 to 2015 and the DRM victory by Mark Wallenwein / Stefan Kopczyk in 2012. Škoda Motorsport built a total of 109 examples of the most successful rally vehicle in the company's history to date. After almost two years of development, Škoda also launched the Fabia R2, which was below the Super 2000 version, in 2011. The front-wheel drive car with a 132 kW (180 PS) 1.6-liter naturally aspirated engine has been specially optimized for the R2 category, in which young talents in particular compete with one another.
2015 – today: Fabia R5 / R5 evo / Rally2 evo
In 2012, the FIA adopted the new R5 regulations to replace the Super 2000 category in rallying. All-wheel-drive vehicles with a maximum of 1.6 liter turbo engine and gasoline direct injection are eligible to start . The R5 cars are similar to the World Rally Cars of the time, but are closer to series production and consequently have some technical restrictions in comparison. Numerous standard parts have to be used, the performance is lower, the aerodynamics are restricted and five instead of six-speed transmissions are used. In addition, R5 vehicles must be freely available, whereby the maximum price of a vehicle must not exceed 180,000 euros (see also: World Cup classes ).
Based on the third generation of the Fabia small car , Škoda Motorsport developed a new rally vehicle for the R5 category, which was homologated by the FIA on April 1, 2015. At the debut, the Rally Portugal from May 21 to 24, the factory crews Esapekka Lappi / Janne Ferm and Pontus Tidemand / Emil Axelson achieved two podium positions in the Fabia R5. The third outing of the Fabia R5 at world championship level, the Rally Poland from July 2nd to 5th, ended with Lappi's first victory in the WRC-2 classification. In a total of nine world championships in the debut year of the Fabia R5, the brand scored four wins and Škoda Motorsport finished the 2015 season as team world champion. Tidemand / Axelsson won their fourth APRC championship title in a row for Škoda, and Fabia R5 crews won the national championships in Belgium, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Austria.
In 2016, the Fabia R5 topped this track record: in 14 World Championship races, ten victories, 25 podium positions and 192 best times in the special stages were achieved. Škoda Motorsport won the team championship again, Lappi / Ferm took the WRC2 drivers' title. In the APRC, Gaurav Gill / Glenn MacNeall won the drivers' championship in the Fabia R5, and here too the brand title went to Škoda. Nasser Al-Attiyah secured the Middle East Rally Championship (MERC). The national championships in Germany, the Czech Republic, Belgium, Latvia, Hungary, Slovakia, Denmark, Ireland and France also won Fabia R5 crews.
At the end of the 2017 season , Škoda Motorsport also triumphed as team world champion in the WRC 2 category, while Pontus Tidemand continued the series of success as driving world champion. Gaurav Gill again won the overall APRC ranking, while Fabian Kreim and Jan Kopecký took important national titles for the brand in Germany and the Czech Republic .
The following year, the Czech Kopecký scored the big success by winning the WRC 2 title in the Fabia R5, and Škoda Motorsport celebrated the fourth team world championship in a row in 2018 . With Yuya Sumiyama, the brand won the APRC again, and Kreim and Kopecký also defended their national championship titles.
Four rally world championship titles crowned the 2019 season: Kalle Rovanperä / Jonne Halttunen won the overall ranking for drivers and co-drivers in the new WRC2 Pro category, Škoda Motorsport won the WRC2 Pro manufacturers' championship. Victory in the WRC2 for private drivers went to the customer team Pierre-Louis Loubet / Vincent Landais. Chris Ingram / Ross Whittock won the FIA European Rally Championship in the Fabia R5, the junior title of this championship was won by the Czech Fabia R5 duo Filip Mareš / Jan Hlousek. Manvir Singh Baryan / Drew Sturrock took first place in the FIA Africa Rally Championship, and Ricardo Triviño / Marc Martí , another Škoda team, took victory in the FIA North and Central American Rally Championship . The brand also triumphed in 23 national rally championships, including the DRM with Fabian Kreim and Tobias Braun.
With 1,018 race wins and 2,424 podium places in 6,760 starts, the Fabia R5 is considered the most successful rally car in its category. 127 teams in 63 countries have used the vehicle so far (as of the end of 2019). The all-wheel drive also proved to be a great success from a commercial point of view. Between April 2015 and July 2019, Škoda Motorsport delivered more than 240 copies of the first generation to customer teams, the evo version had already been delivered to rally teams more than 80 times by the end of 2019, and the total number of vehicles built was 326 at the end of 2019 the motorsport department with the delivery of the successor model Škoda Fabia R5 evo. For the 2020 season, Škoda renamed the Evo version to Fabia Rally2 evo. In doing so, the manufacturer adapted the name of the vehicle to the renaming of the category by the FIA. The works team withdrew from the WRC2 Pro category at the end of 2019. To this end, Škoda is cooperating in the 2020 World Rally Championship with Oliver Solberg's team, who competes in the WRC3 category (formerly WRC2 for private drivers) with a Fabia Rally2 evo.
literature
- Michael Velebný: Škoda Motorsport , Mladá Boleslav 2012
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Škoda Motorsport Team In: skoda-motorsport.com , accessed on May 4, 2020.
- ↑ Two loyal companions In: Škoda extratouch , accessed on April 9, 2020
- ↑ Full throttle into the anniversary: 115 years of ŠKODA Motorsport In: presseportal.de , accessed on April 9, 2020
- ^ Michael Velebný: Škoda Motorsport. Mladá Boleslav 2012, p. 10 .
- ↑ Two-Wheeled Origins , accessed on May 5, 2020.
- ↑ Success and glamor - the Škoda Monte Carlo story In: Škoda Storyboard , September 9, 2019, accessed on April 9, 2020
- ↑ Memory of a legend: "Graf Kilowatt" was born 130 years ago. In: Škoda Storyboard , January 29, 2016, accessed on April 9, 2020.
- ^ Michael Velebný: Škoda Motorsport. Mladá Boleslav 2012, p. 11 .
- ↑ Legendary ŠKODA 966 Supersport shines in new splendor after restoration In: presseportal.de , accessed on April 14, 2020
- ^ Michael Velebný: Škoda Motorsport. Mladá Boleslav 2012, p. 13 .
- ^ Michael Velebný: Škoda Motorsport. Mladá Boleslav 2012, p. 14 .
- ↑ ŠKODA starts with six classics at the AvD-Histo-Monte oldtimer rally In: skoda-media.de , accessed on April 14, 2020
- ↑ Škoda in Motorsport In: skoda-oldtimer.at , author = Wolfgang Kramer, accessed on April 15, 2020
- ↑ Jan Tuček: Legendární Škoda 1000 MB page 135.
- ↑ Škoda 120 S Rallye: An Unassuming Legend In: skoda-motorsport.com , August 28, 2019, accessed on April 15, 2020
- ↑ Škoda 180/200 RS: The First of the Famous RS Family In: skoda-motorsport.com , January 3, 2020, accessed on April 15, 2020
- ↑ Škoda marks 40th anniversary of legendary win at the Rallye Monte Carlo In: skoda-motorsport.com , January 16, 2017, accessed on April 15, 2020
- ↑ Results and data of the 1981 European Touring Car Championship on the website www.touringcarracing.net (accessed on April 4, 2018).
- ↑ https://www.skoda-motorsport.com/en/skoda-130-rs-a5-a-winged-road-racer/ Škoda 130 RS A5: A Winged Road-Racer In: skoda-motorsport.com , 28 September 2019, accessed April 15, 2020
- ↑ The Last of the Rear Engined Racers: Škoda 130 LR Group B Rally Car In: skoda-motorsport.com , April 11, 2018, accessed on April 20, 2020
- ↑ Motorsport History In: skoda-auto.de , accessed on April 20, 2020
- ↑ Škoda FAVORIT: Start of an era of success 30 years ago In: presseportal.de , September 15, 2017, accessed on April 20, 2020
- ↑ Skoda Octavia I Kit Car (1997) In: tech-racingcars.wikidot.com , accessed on April 20, 2020
- ↑ Emil Triner In: ewrc-results.com , accessed on April 20, 2020
- ↑ Skoda Octavia I WRC1999 In: http://tech-racingcars.wikidot.com , accessed on April 30, 2020
- ^ Michael Velebný: Škoda Motorsport. Mladá Boleslav 2012, p. 29 .
- ↑ a b Skoda Fabia II S2000 (2009) In: http://tech-racingcars.wikidot.com , accessed on April 30, 2020
- ↑ Skoda launches the Fabia R2 rally model In: presseportal.de , March 8, 2011, accessed on April 30, 2020
- ↑ Skoda with the most successful rally motorsport season of all time In: presseportal.de , December 11, 2019, accessed on April 30, 2020
- ↑ Skoda Fabia R5 Scored Its Thousandth Victory Last Year In: skoda-motorsport.com , January 12, 2020, accessed April 30, 2020
- ↑ ŠKODA Motorsport starts delivering the new ŠKODA FABIA R5 evo In: presseportal.de , July 18, 2019, accessed on April 30, 2020
- ↑ ŠKODA FABIA R5 Scored Its Thousandth Victory Last Year In: skoda-motorsport.com , January 12, 2020, accessed on April 30, 2020
- ↑ ŠKODA Motorsport cooperates with Oliver Solberg in the WRC3 category of the FIA World Rally Championship In: presseportal.de , January 27, 2020, accessed on April 30, 2020