The new rally model from Mladá Boleslav is based on the fourth-generation ŠKODA FABIA and follows on from the most successful Rally2 vehicle of recent years. ŠKODA Motorsport has developed a new engine for the FABIA RS Rally2, as well as improving the handling, powertrain and electronics and enhancing the safety features for the driver and co-driver. The new FABIA RS Rally2 has demonstrated its capabilities in a demanding test series on asphalt, gravel and ice as well as in a wide range of weather conditions and is ideally equipped to claim victories and titles in the hands of customer teams in the future.
Michal Hrabánek, Head of ŠKODA Motorsport, says: “Standing still means going backwards, and this is especially true in motorsport. That’s why, in developing the new FABIA RS Rally2, we applied the experience we gained from the predecessor model and optimised every detail. The aim was to improve the most successful rally car in the world. I’m proud of the entire ŠKODA Motorsport team who have pursued this goal with great dedication. I would also like to thank our colleagues in Series Development; the fourth-generation FABIA provided us with a perfect basis for the FABIA RS Rally2.”
The all-new ŠKODA FABIA RS Rally2 is a rally vehicle for the Rally2 category and benefits from the best-in-class aerodynamics and exceptionally stiff bodywork of the production model. Compared to the successful predecessor model, the ŠKODA Motorsport team have optimised the powertrain in particular, as well as the electronics, safety and handling. The engineers also developed a new 1.6-litre turbocharged engine based on the 2.0 TSI from the EA888 engine series, which is used in the RS models, among others. ŠKODA’s new motorsport paintwork highlights the close ties to the sporty RS series models; the Hyper Green colourway echoes the OCTAVIA vRS and the ENYAQ Coupé iV vRS.
To prepare the new ŠKODA FABIA RS Rally2 optimally for action on the rally track, ŠKODA Motorsport subjected the newcomer to extensive tests on asphalt, gravel and snow for almost a year. This included trials in the Czech Republic, France, Italy, Croatia, Germany, Belgium and Spain, as well as under extreme winter conditions in northern Finland since the summer of 2021.
Different front-axle brake discs for asphalt and gravel tests
In a rally vehicle, the braking system can save valuable tenths of a second in the fight against the clock. The stronger the deceleration, the later the drivers can brake into a bend. In hard braking manoeuvres, the brake discs easily reach temperatures of more than 700 degrees Celsius. To ensure efficient cooling at all times, the FABIA RS Rally2’s brake discs are internally ventilated, and an optimised brake cooling system is also available for gravel and asphalt stages. The brake discs for asphalt have a diameter of 355 millimetres at the front and 300 millimetres at the rear, requiring 18-inch wheels with a rim size of 8×18. The brakes for use on gravel measure 300 millimetres at both the front and rear. In this case, 15-inch wheels with a size of 7×15 are used.
History of ŠKODA Motorsport: A string of international titles and successes
The ŠKODA FABIA is among the most successful rally vehicles in the world: From 2015 to 2022, the rally version of the popular Czech small car dominated the WRC2 category as the FABIA Rally2 and FABIA Rally2 evo. The more than 450 units built by ŠKODA Motorsport had clinched 1,710 victories by April 2022, including four triumphs in the legendary Monte Carlo Rally. ŠKODA Motorsport and its customer teams celebrated twelve world championship titles in driver and team categories with vehicles based on the third-generation FABIA, making the FABIA Rally2 and FABIA Rally2 evo even more successful than their predecessors, the FABIA S2000 and FABIA WRC. ŠKODA Motorsport is also working on many innovative projects, including the all-electric rally car ŠKODA RE-X1 Kreisel.
