Kopecky goes to Barum Rally to defend huge unbeaten Czech run

Former European Rally champion Jan Kopecky will look to defend an extraordinary run of 22 home wins at this week’s Barum Rally.

The Skoda factory driver starts his first ERC counter of the year and will face stiff competition as he goes in search of a 23rd straight Czech win. Kopecky last lost a round of the Czech national series more than four years ago when he went off the road at Rally Cesky Krumlov. Even more impressive is the fact that he hasn’t finished an event lower than first since his runners-up spot on the 2009 Rally Bohemia.

Kopecky arrives at the sixth round of this year’s ERC on the back of a fourth straight WRC2 win of the year in Germany.

“This is a good way to go to Barum Rally,” he told MN. “It’s going to be an interesting weekend – there’s a lot of rain forecast, so it won’t be a straightforward rally.”

The ERC title fight between series leader Alexey Lukyanuk (Ford Fiesta R5) and Bruno Magalhaes (Skoda Fabia R5) will take second best this week, with WRC star Dani Sordo making his competitive debut in a Hyundai i20 R5.

Briton Chis Ingram will look to move back to the front of the ERC Junior U28. The Skoda driver led his class last time out on the Rally of Rome, but slipped behind Fabian Kreim following a puncture. Podium finisher on last week’s Ulster Rally BRC counter, Rhys Yates, is another Brit making the Czech trip in a Skoda while Catie Munnings will resume her pursuit of this year’s ERC Ladies’ title in the Czech Republic.