Skoda Motorsport's program for 2022

This year again Michal Hrabanek, the boss of Skoda Motorsport, had a lot to say when taking stock of 2021. If the manufacturer has decided to no longer officially commit, its support is important enough for the various teams that benefit from it continue to shine in several championships. By winning the WRC2 title and ERC, Andreas Mikkelsen obtained the two best awards in the category. However, this was not limited to this since the Skoda Fabia Rally2 Evo was also crowned in Argentina (Alejandro Cancio), in Australia (John O'Dowd), in Belgium (Adrian Fernémont) and even in Italy (Giandomenico Basso ). The list is long and these accolades are added to those already recorded in recent years.

So that the series does not end after 7 seasons with this version, Skoda has been developing the replacement for the current Fabia for several months. “ It will be based on the next generation production model, explains Hrabanek. So we are in the process of designing a completely new car. rally which will feature an entirely new drivetrain and chassis. » As for the timing of the appearance in the race of this Fabia 2022, the Czech remained vague: “ We haven't set a date yet, but we are aiming for summer 2022. » While continuing its involvement in conventional competitions, Skoda has also decided to take an interest in a project based on clean energies. While the premier category in WRC will move to hybrid, the Czech brand will support the 100% electric Fabia which was developed in Austria by Kreisel Electric and Raimund Baumschlager's team.

The car has already participated in three rallies in 2021 and it should be entered in this country in 2022. “ Electrification plays an increasing role not only in road cars, but also in motorsport, explains the boss of the competition department. We must prepare for these changes. When we were asked to develop a fully electric racing vehicle, we jumped at the chance. We have adapted the body, chassis and suspension of a Fabia Rally2 Evo to the requirements of the electric drive system. The prototype, called Skoda RE-X1 Kreisel, can be configured for rallies and rallycross with a power of 260 to more than 500 kW. The car was very impressive during its first appearances. »