Škoda Fabia R5
The Škoda Fabia R5 is a rally car built by Škoda Motorsport. It is based upon the Škoda Fabia road car and is built to R5 regulations. It made its competition début in 2015 as a successor to the Škoda Fabia S2000. The car proved to be very successful in the World Rally Championship-2 class, winning thirty-five events between 2015 and 2018. Esapekka Lappi won the 2016 World Rally Championship-2 drivers title with four victories, Pontus Tidemand won the 2017 championship and Jan Kopecký won the 2018 championship.[1][2][3] Škoda Motorsport won the FIA World Rally Championship-2 for Teams in 2015, 2016 and 2017. Starting in 2019, Škoda Motorsport entered the Fabia R5 in the professional class of the World Rally Championship-2.[4] An updated version of the Fabia R5 known as the Škoda Fabia R5 Evo was introduced during the 2019 season.[5][6] The car was originally launched with the R5 group nomenclature, but in early 2020, Škoda Motorsport announced the update of their car names according to the new FIA pyramid, renaming successor, the Fabia R5 evo as the Fabia Rally2 evo.[7]
 | |
| Category | R5 |
|---|---|
| Constructor | Škoda Motorsport |
| Homologation | 1 April 2015 |
| Predecessor | Škoda Fabia S2000 |
| Successor | Škoda Fabia R5/Rally2 evo |
| Technical specifications | |
| Length | 3,994 mm |
| Width | 1,820 mm |
| Engine | VW EA888 1.6 L (98 cu in) 4-cylinder, 16-valve turbocharged |
| Weight | 1,230 kg |
| Tyres | Michelin |
| Competition history | |
| Notable entrants |  Škoda Motorsport |
| Debut | World Rally Championship-2: 2015 Monte Carlo RallyEuropean Rally Championship: .svg.png.webp){kind=small} 2015 Ypres RallyAsia-Pacific Rally Championship:  2015 Rally ChinaCodasur South American Rally Championship:  2016 Rally Trans Itapua |
| First win | World Rally Championship-2: 2015 Rally PolandEuropean Rally Championship: 2015 Ypres RallyAsia-Pacific Rally Championship: 2015 Rally ChinaCodasur South American Rally Championship: 2016 Rally Trans Itapua |
| Teams' Championships | 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 World Rally Championship-2 for Teams 2019 World Rally Championship-2 Pro for Manufacturers |
| Drivers' Championships | 2019 World Rally Championship-2 Pro for Drivers 2016, 2017, 2018 World Rally Championship-2 for Drivers 2016, 2017, 2018 Asia-Pacific Rally Championship for Drivers 2016, 2017, 2018 Codasur South American Rally Championship 2019 European Rally Championship |
The Fabia R5 has also competed in regional rally championships in Europe the Asia-Pacific and Codasur South American Rally Championships. Gaurav Gill won the 2016 and 2017 Asia-Pacific titles and Yuya Sumiyama won the 2018 championship. Gustavo Saba won the 2016, 2017 and 2018 Codasur South American Rally Championships. The car has also won a further fourteen rounds of the European Rally Championship.
From a commercial and competitive standpoint, the Fabia is one of the most successful cars in the history of the R5 category, winning over 700 rally competitions all around the world, and selling over 240 units to independent teams and owners over a three-and-a-half year period.
Results
World Rally Championship-2 victories
European Rally Championship victories
Asia-Pacific Rally Championship victories
| Year | No. | Event | Driver | Co-driver |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 1 | 2015 Rally China |
 Pontus Tidemand |
Emil Axelsson |
| 2016 | 2 |  2016 International Rally of Whangarei |
 Gaurav Gill |
.svg.png.webp){kind=small} Glenn MacNeall |
| 3 | 2016 International Rally of Queensland |
Gaurav Gill |
Glenn MacNeall | |
| 4 |  2016 Rally Hokkaido |
Gaurav Gill |
Glenn MacNeall | |
| 5 |  2016 Malaysian Rally |
Gaurav Gill |
Glenn MacNeall | |
| 6 | 2016 Rally of India |
Gaurav Gill |
Glenn MacNeall | |
| 2017 | 7 | 2017 International Rally of Whangarei |
Gaurav Gill |
Glenn MacNeall |
| 8 | 2017 National Capital Rally |
 Ole Christian Veiby |
Stig Rune Skjærmoen | |
| 9 | 2017 Malaysian Rally |
Ole Christian Veiby |
Stig Rune Skjærmoen | |
| 10 | 2017 Rally Hokkaido |
Gaurav Gill |
Glenn MacNeall | |
| 11 | 2017 Rally of India |
Gaurav Gill |
Glenn MacNeall | |
| 2018 | 12 | 2018 National Capital Rally |
Eli Evans |
Ben Searcy |
| 13 | 2018 Malaysian Rally |
Yuya Sumiyama |
Takahiro Yasui | |
| 14 | 2018 Rally Hokkaido |
Yuya Sumiyama |
Takahiro Yasui | |
References
- "Lappi claims title with Australia win". WRC. 11 October 2017. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
- "Tidemand Clinches Title". fia.com. Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile. 20 August 2017. Retrieved 8 October 2017.
- "WRC 2 in Spanin: Rovanperä Nets Masterful win". wrc.com. WRC. 28 October 2018. Retrieved 29 October 2018.
- Evans, David (28 November 2018). "Skoda Motorsport scales back for 2019 WRC2 season, Tidemand exits". autosport.com. Motorsport Network. Retrieved 9 December 2018.
- "Vodafone Rally de Portugal 2019" (PDF). rallydeportugal.pt. Rally de Portugal. 23 May 2019.
- "Kopecký Scored His First Victory with Updated FABIA R5". skoda-motorsport.com. Škoda Motorsport. 18 May 2019. Retrieved 8 June 2019.
- "ŠKODA FABIA Rally2 evo: New Season, New Name". Škoda Motorsport. 12 February 2021. Retrieved 18 July 2021.
External links
