Jan Kopecký will be the sole ŠKODA Motorsport driver in action on Rallye Sanremo this week as Juho Hänninen concentrates on his other commitments with the leading Czech squad.
But despite racing into a 17-point lead at the top of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge drivers’ standings on the back of victories in Czech Republic and Hungary alongside navigator Petr Starý, Kopecký admits the Italian round isn’t one of his strongest.
“Sanremo is a big challenge for me and my co-driver Petr, we haven’t been much successful there last year,” said the Czech ace. “The roads are beautiful, much technical, slower then last time in Hungary and very difficult for making right pacenotes. We will be ready with Petr as much as we can to confirm our positions for the season final.”
While Hänninen won’t be competing in Sanremo, Freddy Loix will be taking part in a works-supported Fabia Super 2000 under the BFO-ŠKODA Rally Team banner.
“After a very fast Hungarian Rally, I’m happy to find a more technical rally in Sanremo,” said the Belgian, who will be co-driven by countryman Frédéric Miclotte. “I need to have a good result here to stay in contact with the top of the IRC overall classification before the two last rallies of the season where the point coefficient is more important.”