Trying out the competition versionKopecky and Raimund Baumschlager, the Skoda team's recent testing of the Fabia Super 2000's competition version in Austria also included double World Champion Carlos Sainz.
The Volkswagen factory driver won the Central European Rally
with a Race Touareg this year in April, and contributed to the double success in its class of the new VW Scirocco at the 24-hour race in Nürnburgring a few days ago. Skoda is part of the VAG Group.
The test was not Sainz's first experience of driving a Skoda – the Spaniard won the Shalymar Rally near Madrid with a Fabia last autumn, and expressed inetrest in trying out the new version of the Fabia Super 2000.
"I have got to know the Skoda Fabia really well, and I can see a huge step forward as far as the development of the competition version is concerned," said Sainz, who was authorised to take part in this test by Volkswagen Motor Sport Department Director Kris Nissen.
A number of big names in motorsport attended the test rides of the new car in order to check the project's progress, including Hans-Joachim Stuck of the Volkswagen Motor Sport Department.
Commenting on the project, Dr.
Eckhard Scholz, Skoda Auto BOD Member responsible for technological development, said: "The involvement of experienced competitors such as Carlos Sainz and Hans-Joachim Stuck highlights the importance the Volkswagen Group attributes to Skoda's motor sport initiatives and gives valuable stimuli to the development of the new Fabia Super 2000."
