Mladá Boleslav, October 13, 2021 – After two competitions on gravel, the FIA ​​World Rally Championship returns to the asphalt stages during the last two rounds of the 2021 season. The Rally of Spain RallyRACC Rally de España (October 14-17 2021) will take the teams to the Iberian Peninsula. Andreas Mikkelsen (N), the overall leader of the WRC2 class of the Toksport WRT team supported by ŠKODA Motorsport, will skip the Catalan competition as planned. On the contrary, his Bolivian teammate Marco Bulacia (ŠKODA FABIA Rally2 evo) will try to gain more experience on asphalt tracks and collect more points in the WRC2 category. Kajetan Kajetanowicz and his co-driver Maciej Szczepaniak (PL / PL), driving a private ŠKODA FABIA Rally2 evo, strive to win in the WRC3 class. The talented Czech driver Dominika Stříteský and his co-driver Jiří Hovorka (ŠKODA FABIA Rally2 evo), also entered in the WRC3 category, will have their first participation in the FIA ​​World Championship rally as part of the Toksport WRT team.

For Andreas Mikkelsen, the 2021 season may be his most successful in terms of titles. In the FIA ​​European Rally Championship (ERC), the Norwegian driver of the Toksport WRT team, supported by ŠKODA Motorsport, enjoys a dominant position in the overall standings. Currently, Mikkelsen also leads the WRC2 category of the FIA ​​World Rally Championship (WRC). Since only six results from a maximum of seven competitions can be added to the final evaluation, Nor has decided to omit the penultimate of twelve events from this year’s calendar. In the WRC2 category, the Toksport WRT team will be represented by Mikkelsen’s young teammate, Marco Bulacia. After a series of good results, the Bolivian rider is currently third in the general classification of this category. “After the gravel competitions I’m looking forward to the Spanish asphalt rally. The asphalt test drives and Rally Bohemia, which is part of the Czech Republic championship, have given me a lot of confidence in my ŠKODA FABIA Rally2 evo. I will definitely aim for another good result, ”said Bulacia, who is complemented, as usual, by Argentinian co-driver Marcelo Der Ohannesian.

Dominik Stříteský, a 21-year-old Czech talent, also put in an excellent performance at Rally Bohemia in July. Together with his co-driver Jiří Hovorka, he won second place in the general classification behind the wheel of the ŠKODA FABIA Rally2 evo. This was the result that won him the support of the ŠKODA Motorsport team on his Spanish debut at the FIA ​​World Championships. “I am happy that thanks to ŠKODA Motorsport I am able to start at the highest level for the first time. For me it is mainly about learning how rally works in the WRC”, explains Stříteský.
His benchmark in the WRC3 category will probably be the private crew of Kajetan Kajetanowicz / Maciej Szczepaniak from Poland with a ŠKODA FABIA Rally2 evo. He is currently second overall in the WRC3 category and will be looking to take the lead in the Catalan asphalt stages. Other ŠKODA private crews to watch are 2019 European Rally Champions Chris Ingram / Ross Whittock (GB / GB), local heroes Pepe López / Borja Odriozola from Spanish Rally Team Spain and new Finnish champions Emil Lindholm / Reeta Hämäläinen , who also proved their speed by winning the WRC3 class at the recent Rally Finland.

RallyRACC Rally de España will feature 17 special stages with a total length of over 280 kilometers, which will take place mainly on winding and smooth asphalt roads. Friday’s stage will consist of six special stages with a length of around 112 kilometers. The longest day of the competition will be Saturday with seven stages over 117 kilometers long. Sunday will make the final decision in four special stages. The winner will perform on the podium in Salou around 13:34 local time.

Did you know that…

… The first Spanish rally was called RallyRACC Rally de España in 1957, it became part of the European Championship in 1975 and in 1991 it took place for the first time as part of the FIA ​​World Championship?

… Until 2019, the Spanish rally was the only event in the FIA ​​World Championship to take place on a combination of gravel and asphalt surfaces? The whole race this year is on asphalt.

… The opening ceremony of the Rally of Spain will take place on the seafront of Salou, south of the Catalan capital Barcelona?

… The service area is located in the PortAventura World theme park, which features the remarkable Dragon Khan roller coaster with eight loops and a top speed of 110 km / h?

Top 3 overall WRC2 / drivers (before Rally Spain)

1. Andreas Mikkelsen (N), ŠKODA FABIA Rally2 evo, 126 points
2. Mads Østberg (N), Citroën C3 Rally2, 118 points
3. Marco Bulacia (BOL), ŠKODA FABIA Rally2 evo, 104 points

Top 3 in the general classification WRC2 / teams (before Rally Spain)

1. Toksport WRT (ŠKODA), 211 points
2. Movisport, 162 points
3. M-Sport Ford World Rally Team, 146 points

Top 3 overall WRC3 / Drivers (before Rally Spain)

1. Yohan Rossel (F), Citroën C3 Rallye2, 127 points
2. Kajetan Kajetanowicz (PL), ŠKODA FABIA Rally2 evo, 112 points
3. Emil Lindholm (FIN), ŠKODA FABIA Rally2 evo, 73 points

Calendar of the FIA ​​World Rally Championship for 2021:

Rallye Monte-Carlo 21 – 24 January
Finnish Arctic Rally 26. – 28. February
Croatian rally 22 – 25 April
Rally Portugal 20. – 23. May
Rally Italy (Sardinia) June 3 – 6
Safari rally (Kenya) 24-27. June
Estonian Rally July 15-18
Belgian Rally 13th – 15th August
Acropolis Rally (Greece) 9-12. September
Rally Finland 1. – 3. October
Spanish rally 14th – 17th October
FORUM8 ACI Rallye Monza 19. – 21. listopadu