Kopecký hopes Italian bid will help IRC form

Jan Kopecký hopes his participation in the Italian Rally Championship will boost his chances of Intercontinental Rally Challenge success with the factory Škoda Motorsport team.

Kopecký, 27, will enter all eight rounds of the Italian championship in a Skoda Rally Team Italia-branded Fabia S2000 with regular co-driver Petr Starý.

The series consists of five events on asphalt – including the IRC-counting Rallye Sanremo in September – and three on gravel and gets underway with Rally 1000 Miglia from 22-24 April.

“I don’t know the rallies so it’s going to be very difficult,” said the Czech Republic driver. “There are also some very fast local drivers who I will be competing against. They know every corner and every stone of every stage so will have a big advantage. But for sure I will learn a lot and this can only be good for my IRC programme.”

Michal Hrabánek, the head of Škoda Motorsport, said: “This project will undoubtedly be an interesting marketing initiative for the Italian importer [of Škoda] and a major sports event for the team, which I firmly believe will make the most of this experience."

Kopecký’s next scheduled IRC event is Rally Islas Canarias, which takes place from 29 April-1 May and counts as the fourth round of the 12-event series.