Austrian one-two thrills SKODA chief

SKODA Motorsport boss Michal Hrabanek has praised his factory drivers Jan Kopecky and Juho Hanninen following their one-two finish on the Janner Rallye in Austria last weekend.

The event, a counting round of the Austrian, Czech and European championships, took place in difficult wintry weather conditions with snow and ice coating the bulk of the asphalt stages around the town of Friestadt near Linz.

Kopecky won the event with Hanninen, the 2010 IRC champion, second after dropping time cleaning a line through the loose-surface snow on both days of the rally.

Hrabanek said: “This was our first appearance at the Janner Rally and it is really a difficult and unpredictable winter event. We have made a good start to this season by winning the first two places.”