Newly created Czech Ford National Team enters 2010 season with two brand new Ford Fiesta S2000 cars in an ambitious attempt to achieve world and Czech triumph. The team enters Super 2000 World Rally Championship for drivers (S-WRC) with reigning JWRC champion Martin Prokop co-driven by Jan Tomanek, and Czech Rally Championship with the crew of Jaromir Tarabus and Daniel Trunkat.
In 2009, Martin Prokop and Jan Tomanek were crowned JWRC champions claiming the title five years on from entering Junior World Rally Championship (JWRC) in 2006 season. They also finished in runner-up position after two-year campaign in Production Car World Rally Championship (PWRC). For 2010 season Martin Prokop and Czech Ford National Team make their step up to new Super 2000 World Rally Championship for drivers (S-WRC) and World Rally Championship Cup for teams (WRC Cup), which will use Super 2000 cars, the new technical category on which the 2011 World Rally Cars will be based. Martin Prokop as S-WRC and WRC Cup entrant has nominated seven out of the ten WRC events on the S-WRC calendar, and two of events chosen have been outside Europe. Martin Prokop will participate in Rally Sweden, Rally Mexico, Rally New Zealand, Rally Finland, Rally Deutschland, Tour de Corse – Rally de France and Wales Rally GB. As far as Martin Prokop and Jan Tomanek are experienced WRC contenders, they will focus their efforts on gaining top results in every single rally as well as in overall rankings of S-WRC and WRC Cup.
This year Martin Prokop will participate in S-WRC and WRC Cup events, but also in selected Czech rally events. Martin Prokop and Jan Tomanek would like to entry at least one of the most famous Czech rally events, Rally Bohemia (Czech Rally Championship round) or Barum Rally (IRC/Czech Rally Championship round). Several additional foreign rallies are also possible.
In Czech Rally Championship Czech Ford National Team will be represented by Jaromir Tarabus co-driven by Daniel Trunkat. The crew finished 5th in the 2009 Czech Rally Championship, gaining two podium results, and achieved to win one Czech Sprintrally Championship round. Jaromir Tarabus belongs to those more experienced S2000 rally drivers in Czech Rally Championship. In last two seasons he drove two different S2000 cars in Czech rally championships and also in WRC. He finished 5th in the 2008 Wales Rally GB and 6th in the 2009 Rally Norway, both in PWRC rankings. However, in Ford Fiesta S2000 Tarabus will be a rookie.
Jaromir Tarabus and Daniel Trunkat will participate in the 2010 Czech Rally Championship (7 rounds including Czech IRC round, Barum Rally). They will focus their efforts on gaining Top 3 result in the championship or even the triumph. They would like to enter also selected WRC round, especially Rally Finland.
Martin Prokop, Czech Ford National Team’s driver in S-WRC and WRC Cup: “Ford Fiesta S2000 impressed me in the first minute. So far I have completed just a short test, but even it was enough to find out the chassis is perfect and the car is well-balanced and excellently working. In S-WRC we want to fight for the highest positions. I suppose, we have reached certain level, and – accordingly to the number of completed events – we are pretty experienced to achieve good results. Well, driving the new car could be smallish handicap for me. However, also other drivers will have new cars – maybe with exceptions of Patrik Sandell and Michal Kosciuzsko, who have some experience – so disadvantage will not be big.”
Jan Tomanek, Martin Prokop’s co-driver: “In 2010 season, I will cooperate with manufacturer Ford team again. I like think back of 2005 season, when I was co-driver in this high professional team, which fight for the best results. Although we will represent Czech Ford National Team in the following season, we will closely cooperate with the factory team. We and our team are very ambitious. Accordingly to we are reigning JWRC champions, high-position-results are expected, and we would like to meet these expectations.”
Jaromir Tarabus, Czech Ford National Team’s driver in Czech Rally Championship: “We are looking forward to 2010 season, when we will drive new Ford Fiesta S2000 car. Our dream is to fight for Czech Rally Championship winning. But we are aware there will be many good drivers with very good cars. To achieve Czech Rally Championship title will be very hard. However, we would like to be on the highest positions.”
Daniel Trunkat, Jaromir Tarabus’s co-driver: “In the 2009 Czech Rally Championship we finished 5th. Accordingly to the last season’s result, we would like to achieve better position this year. This has been one of the reasons to buy the new car. Although there will be strong competition in Czech Rally Championship, we would like to achieve Top 3 result in the overall rankings to represent us and Czech Ford National Team.”
Martin Linhart, Head of External Communication, FORD MOTOR COMPANY: “I am very pleased, that new Ford team has been created, especially when it is represented by two competitive crews. Rallying has been, and still is at the heart of Ford. This motorsport’s discipline conduces to technical development. Achievements on special stages are use in Ford’s PR and marketing strategy. Czech Ford’s importer wants to do the same in Czech Republic. We expect Martin Prokop and Jan Tomanek to fight for the S-WRC title, and Jaromir Tarabus and Daniel Trunkat to fight for podium result in Czech Rally Championship.”
Malcolm Wilson, M-Sport Director: “I am very happy, that reigning JWRC champion Martin Prokop will drive one of our cars. After finished his JWRC campaign, Martin has decided to make a step up to S2000. We are looking forward to cooperation with him, and we will give him the best technical support we can. S2000 category is very important for us, and I suppose it will be very interesting also for its competitors.”