See the development of the new Skoda Fabia Rally2

Skoda is making a final flight to the new Fabia Rally2, which will be based on the fourth generation of the supermini and will replace the released Rally2 Evo. The carmaker will explain the development program through a series of photos, videos and information, explaining what is needed to turn a production model into a rally.

To comply with the rules of the Rally2 category, race cars must use the same hull as the current production model, except for the aerial components. Compared to the road-going Fabia, the rally version has been redesigned with front and rear bumpers with deeper skirts, wide attachments, rally-specific mirrors, a ventilated hood, a roof bucket and a new rear wing to provide optimal lowering power. .

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The Fabia Rally2 is still camouflaged, but it doesn’t hide its aggressive design. Depending on the technical characteristics – asphalt, gravel, etc. – Rallycar receives wheels and tires, mud, additional LED lighting, as well as other chassis equipment. The latter is the work of Skoda engineers in collaboration with professional drivers Jan Kopecki, Andreas Mikkelsen, Chris Mike and Emil Lindholm, who played an important role in the development program.

The chassis is completely custom-made and has nothing in common with MQB-based production vehicles. Rallykar has a new engine – it should be based on the production unit, but can be obtained from another model – higher power and torque than the previous one. Power is transmitted to all four wheels via the AWD system and a custom rally-specific transmission. The team claims that the new model has significantly improved in terms of weight balance, aerodynamics, accident safety and handling. They benefited from the fact that the new Fabia is wider than previous generations, has a larger engine and a longer wheelbase.

Alesh Rada, head of racing cars at Škoda Motorsport, said that the development of the new Fabia Rally2 began long before the premiere of the fourth generation model. Their goal was to launch the rally after about a year of production, using new technology, as well as exposition for marketing purposes. The pandemic is expected to slow the team as they have been forced to work from home for a year. Unable to create prototypes, they relied on virtual testing, modeling and other digital tools.

We expect the new model to be fully unveiled later this year, when it will be available for individual teams. So far, you can watch videos showing some actions in all types of rally stages. Unfortunately, the Fabia Rally2 vRS does not inspire a hot hatch, and the very soft Fabia Monte Carlo retains its role as the fastest and most powerful version of the supermini in production.