ŠKODA is ready to confirm its calibre in the second event of this year´s IRC Championship to take place in Gran Canaria and take another step to winning its third IRC title.

Reigning IRC champion Andreas Mikkelsen of ŠKODA UK Motorsport made the best possible step in his effort to repeat his last year's victory in the IRC championship.

After the most successful year in the 111-year history of its motorsport efforts, ŠKODA's ambition in 2012 is to win a third consecutive championship title in the Manufacturers category of the IRC.

Jan Kopecký, the Czech rally driver of ŠKODA Motorsport (factory team) has been awarded the 2011 Sportbest from Autobest, a renowned international organisation.

Reigning SWRC World Champion Juho Hänninen of ŠKODA Motorsport (factory team) will be the main star at the Racingshow, a major motorsport trade fair to take place in Vienna, Austria over the upcoming weekend.

Jan Kopecký of ŠKODA Motorsport has won the Rally category of the 2011 Golden Steering Wheel, a long-established survey among Czech motoring journalists and experts.

After a dramatic spectacle, Jan Kopecký & Pavel Dresler of ŠKODA Motorsport won and their teammates Juho Hänninen & Mikko Markkula came second.

Both ŠKODA Motorsport's factory crews, Hänninen/Markkula and Kopecký/Dresler, to appear in the season's opening event.

The successful Fabia Super 2000 project continues. The IRC championship remains the priority. ŠKODA Motorsport to newly appear in the European Championship series. 

ŠKODA repeats last year's victory in the Manufacturers category of the IRC. Fabia Super 2000 drivers Mikkelsen, Kopecký and Hänninen won the first three places.