After two wins from two starts the newly formed ŠKODA MRF team dominated again on the first day of the International Rally of Queensland in Australia. Esapekka Lappi and his co-driver Janne Ferm (Finland) in their ŠKODA Fabia Super 2000 have a clear lead over their team mates Gaurav Gill/Glenn Macneall (India/New Zealand).
Lappi was totally satisfied after the first day. “Everything worked perfect. The course dried out a bit in the afternoon so it was a bit easier than I had anticipated”, he said after a total of twelve special stages. ŠKODA was unbeatable on this day: Lappi won seven special stages, Gill the other five. Nine more special stages with a total distance of 111,67 kilometres are planned for Sunday around the little town of Imbil.
ŠKODA Head of Motorsport Michal Hrabánek was also happy with the first day: “That was a good performance by Esapekka, he was fast and reliable. We hope tomorrow will go as well but it will be tough.”
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.