Skoda advances to the WRC

Skoda has never really been considered an actual contender in most rally circles. They're more of a "participant"…until now, that is.

Teaming with Red Bull & legendary rally champion-turned owner Raimund Baumschlager, Skoda will campaign its Super 2000 Fabia in the S-WRC lineup for the 2011 season.

The new Red Bull Skoda team is the result of a partnership between Skoda Motorsport, Red Bull & Baumschlager's team, BRR.

Drivers for the new team include IRC champions Juho Hänninen & Mikko Markkula of Finland, along with Hermann Gassner Jr. & Katharina Wüstenhagen.

In case you were wondering, the S-WRC is a new category, launched for the 2010 season, it's specifically designed for Super 2000-class cars to be able to compete on the WRC's fantastic rally stages.