Tomáš Kostka, who tops the Intercontinental Rally Challenge classification on Barum Czech Rally Zlín after the opening special stage, is somewhat of a shock early pacesetter having never recorded a stage win in the series until now.
But while the married 28-year-old is something of an unknown in IRC circles – he has competed in Zlín on four occasions – his motorsport curriculum vitae is impressive and varied following stints in Formula Ford, Formula Three, World Series by Renault and an appearance in the Le Mans 24 Hours.
The current leader of the Czech rallysprint championship in a Citroën C4 WRC, Kostka is also riding high in the Czech touring car series where he was a winner at the recent meeting at the Most circuit in a DTM-specification Audi A4.
His success on SSS Zlín on Friday night in a Rufa Sport-entered JM Racing-prepared ŠKODA Fabia Super 2000 wasn’t a complete surprise, however. Kostka lives in the south-east Czech city and has a reputation among Czech media as being a fast driver. He will start section two of day one of Rally Zlín 14th on the road, albeit with a lead of three seconds.
Saturday’s first stage, Slušovice, will be shown live on Eurosport and free-to-air Czech TV from 10:00hrs local time.