Skoda for the first time in 10 years will be seen racing two Skoda Fabia S2000 cars in the upcoming FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship instead of their usual Mitsubishi 4wd cars. Skoda had been contemplating the move from a long time with Subaru and Mitsubishi virtually bowing out of worldwide rallying and the FIA promoting Super 2000 cars. Noted Indian driver Gaurav Gill will be seen driving the Skoda Fabia S2000 this year with details of his team mate yet to be revealed. The first rally starts on March 30 in New Zealand.
The Skoda Fabia S2000 has little in common with its road-going version. It has been modified extensively to accommodate a new suspension, race-spec engine and sequential gearbox. The body shell though is shared by both the cars. The Skoda's 1.6-litre engine is a naturally aspirated unit and doesn't have a rev limiter, thus enabling it to rev all the way to 8500rpm. The S2000 is lighter by 300kg than the Mitsubishi Evo X and this combined with the 270PS of power should enable it to set some scorching lap times.
