After three successful races, the works-assisted ŠKODA MRF team now lines up at the fourth round of the Asia Pacific Rally Championship (APRC) in Malaysia. Championship leaders Esapekka Lappi/Janne Ferm (FIN/FIN) and the second ŠKODA pairing of Gaurav Gill/Glenn Macneall (IND/NZ) have their sights set on taking another step towards the title in both the Drivers’ and Manufacturers’ competitions from 23 to 25 August.
“We have to be clever. The rally has a lot of jumps and we will be faced with high temperatures,” said Esapekka Lappi. “However, we are there to score more points.” The flying Finn won the season-opener in New Zealand and added a second victory at the recent APRC rally in Australia. In New Caledonia it was the turn of fellow ŠKODA duo Gill/Macneall to triumph, meaning the Czech manufacturer remains undefeated in the APRC this season – and ŠKODA is hopeful it will remain that way in Malaysia.
Experienced Indian driver Gaurav Gill is determined to be back among the front-runners following his early retirement at the rally in Australia: “We were just unlucky in Australia. That won’t happen again. We have a great car and a great team. We must obviously also bear the Manufacturers’ Championship in mind.” ŠKODA holds a significant lead at the halfway point of this competition. In the Drivers’ Championship, meanwhile, Lappi leads as well. The next round in the Malaysian state of Johor features 15 gravel stages covering 219.90 kilometres, with the anticipated heat set to make it a real test for man and machine.
For Czech automobile manufacturer ŠKODA, entering the APRC represents an important step in the company’s growth offensive in international markets. ŠKODA has set its sights on increasing its global sales to at least 1.5 million units per year by 2018, with particular emphasis on the growth markets in Asia. “The APRC, as one of the region’s most important motorsport events, provides us with outstanding opportunities to present the ŠKODA brand to a large public,” said
Dr. Frank Welsch, Member of the Board of Management for Technical Development at ŠKODA.
www.twitter.com/motorsportskodawww.facebook.com/motorsportskoda www.youtube.com/motorsportskoda