Škoda Motorsport driver Jan Kopecky believes that good preparation will be key to a strong result on the Prime Yalta Rally.
Kopecký, runner-up in the Intercontinental Rally Challenge drivers’ standings for the last two seasons and currently joint second in the pilots’ classification after three rounds resumes his title bid in the Ukraine this week.
The event is being included in the IRC for the first time this season and represents unchartered territory for the bulk of the crews. Kopecký said: “In my opinion, good pacenotes and a good set-up of the car will be the key success factors in this unfamiliar rally. I believe that we will optimise the set-up together with Škoda Motorsport engineers to be ready to fight for the top positions.”
Kopecký, from Czech Republic, hasn’t won in the IRC since his victory on Rally Islas Canarias El Corte Inglés in April 2010. Juho Hänninen, the defending IRC champion, will partner Kopecký in the factory Škoda line-up in Yalta.