Season
Jan Kopecký moves up to tenth in the Rally Norway
Jan Kopecký and Filip Schovánek put in a superb performance in their Škoda Fabia WRC on Saturday’s leg of the Rally Norway.
In Saturday’s opening leg, the crew of the Czech Rally Team Kopecký was assigned a time, because the route was impassable with a rival car blocking the way.
However, in the remaining five stages on Saturday Jan Kopecký recorded times in the top ten, and even came in fifth in the thirteenth stage.
The excellent work done by Jan Kopecký and Filip Schovánek, combined with the problems of several competitors on Saturday, saw the Czech Rally Team Kopecký move up from twenty-second place after the fifth stage to their current standing of tenth at the end of Saturday’s leg.
‘Jan and Filip were superb on Saturday.
By changing the vehicle settings we managed to improve the handling, and Jan praised the Škoda Fabia WRC today.
Today the conditions during the stages are incredibly difficult.
In places there is very heavy snow, but the temperature is around freezing point.
It is extremely
complicated handling the vehicle in deep and melting snow.
Today Jan avoided riving errors while keeping to a very fast pace. To record top-ten times in five consecutive stages is a high quality performance that makes me happy. It is something I really appreciate.
To record top-ten times in five consecutive stages is a high quality performance that makes me happy. It is something I really appreciate.
The current tenth place is amazing considering Jan and Filip started the day in twenty-second.
In the final leg, I expect the conditions to be very challenging again, because the temperatures indicate that tomorrow we should be racing on a harder surface.
What’s more, it’s evening now and it hasn’t stopped snowing,’
said Josef Kopecký, the team manager, at the end of Saturday.
In the final leg of the Rally Norway, the crews are in for four stages, and the final results of the Rally Norway will be known on Sunday afternoon.
Current standings in the Rally Norway after the 14 stage:
1. Hirvonen M. / Lehtinen J. Ford Focus RS WRC 06 2:33:45,5
2. Gronholm M. / Rautiainen T. Ford Focus RS WRC 06 +0:19,2
3. Solberg P. / Mills P. Subaru Impreza WRC 06 +3:48,3
4. Solberg H. / Menkerud C. Ford Focus RS WRC 06 +3:58,2
5. Latvala J. / Anttila M. Ford Focus RS WRC 06 +5:16,9
6 . Stohl M. / Minor I. Citroen Xsara WRC +6:11,1
7. Galli G. / Bernaccini G. Citroen Xsara WRC +6:21,7
8. Pons X. / Amigo X. Mitsubishi Lancer WRC 05 +8:01,8
10. Kopecký J. / Schovánek F. Škoda Fabia WRC +9:43,1 
