Kopecký upbeat following Canarias podium

Jan Kopecký says losing out on victory to Škoda Motorsport team-mate Juho Hänninen on Rally Islas Canarias El Corte Inglés last month was no bad thing.

The Škoda Motorsport ace, runner-up in the Intercontinental Rally Challenge for the last two seasons, lost out on victory on the asphalt event by 1.5 seconds.

He said: “Of course [I was] a little bit disappointed but if I remember to last year when I lost twice first place due to my mistakes then this was a reason to go a little off throttle and come to the finish. It’s good to have some points and it’s better to be second than to crash somewhere as I did last year twice.”

After two rounds Kopecký holds fifth overall in the IRC drivers’ classification, 11 points adrift of fellow Fabia Super 2000 driver Hänninen, who moved into the lead of the standings with his win on Gran Canaria.

The IRC resumes with Tour de Corse – E.Leclerc from 12-14 May.