Skoda Announces Fabia R5 to Replace Fabia S2000 Rally Car

SkodaSkodaCzech Rep., 1895 > present57 models
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has announced development of a new R5 class rally car based on the FabiaSkoda Fabia Gen.2Czech Rep., 2007 > present280 versions
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, and it will have it ready for the 2015 rally season. The car is being developed as a successor to the quite successful Fabia Super 2000 rally car that will continue to compete in 2014.

“Through the many international successes it has enjoyed, the current Fabia Super 2000 has been demonstrating our technical prowess for years. The challenge is now to follow on from this success. That is why we are working flat out to develop a new racing car, based on the Skoda Fabia, for the R5 category,” said Dr. Frank Welsch, head of technical development at Skoda.

The Fabia R5 will use a 1.6-liter turbocharged engine, rather than the current car’s naturally aspirated 2.0-liter.

Since its introduction, the Fabia Super 2000 has won 27 rallies in the Intercontinental Rally Challenge and won championships in the Asia-Pacific Rally Championship, European Rally Championship and South American Rally Championship.

The R5 class is the FIA’s replacement for the Super 2000 class and is meant to be cheaper, while the cars will have similar performance.

Skoda already has teams lined up for 2014 to enter the Fabia Super 2000 in rallies in the APRC and ERC.

Skoda has not released any images of the Fabia R5 yet. The images above depict the Fabia S2000.