Loeb signs for Škoda!!! [April fool's joke]

[urabus-denoS2000]

Sebastien Loeb was seen today testing the brand new Škoda 130LR rally car!
Maybe Loeb was unhappy with the recent unrealiability with the C4 so he switched to Škoda!Here are pics from the test:

http://www.ewrc.cz/ewrc/show.php?id=8098

[N.O.T]

next year they should try harder.....

[urabus-denoS2000]

Can anyone of our Czech members translate and say what does Seb say about the Škoda 130LR?
What do you think,is it going to be faster than the Fords?

[MrJan]

I don't think that was such a bad try. They managed to get a passable look a like in all the right poses. Okay so he had Seat overalls on but at least they had a go. OUt of interest any chance of a translation?

[Shrike]

haha it does look a bit like seb :D

[tribefiend]

A little fatter face, but pretty close

[UKOG~Will]

So am I right in thinking that guy is really called Sebastien Loeb and has signed for Skoda in a national rally championship

Or that

It's a cruel April Fools joke to make us think 4 time WRC champion Sebastien Loeb had signed for Skoda

[Helstar]

ROTFL his face is amazing :D quite similar to the real one lol

[Shacki]

This is just April joke, man si just similar to Loeb :) In article is just fun story about the negotiations between owner of this car and "Seb". It means dont be worry about Loeb leaving Citroen :)

[Helstar]

Oh ye, do you think somebody actually believed in that :D ?

[Iskald]

It`s back to Group B again then. For some of us historical nerds it`s a funny story, and it actually brings back a few memories. The Skoda 130 LR was Skoda`s Group B challenger in the 1300 cc class. If I`m not completely mistaken the car was introduced in the winter of 1986, and its first proper rally was the Valasska Zima Rally in (then) Czechoslovakia.

As John Haugland was driving for Skoda in those days, me and a colleague was invited to the rally to make a film for norwegian television. We were driven from Prague to Barum, were the rally was held, with an official driver from the Skoda Factory. In a pocket in the drivers door, there was a government document allowing the driver of the car to drive faster than any speed limits if he wished to do so!

The day before the rally we were taken in great secrecy to a workshop to see the 130 LR for the first time. The Skoda guys were extremly proud to show us their Group B car. I can`t really recall how the rally went, but several Skoda 130 LR was entered in the event, including the one John Haugland drove. I think Haugland became 5th, in very difficult conditions. It was a winter rally with snow and ice aplenty, but they were driving with studless tyres. Extremely slippery, to say the least...! One special stage was a sort of super special around the main office building of the Barum tyre factory. Great stuff, really, with something like 10 000 spectators or so lining the stage.

[turves]

I would arguably say the 130LR has the highest percentage of class wins for a car. They were extremely reliable and were very rarely beaten in their class.

[Mirek]

Iskald: Here is a video of that Valasska Zima rally, I hope the link works :)
http://www.sc-photo-archive.co.uk/videos/valasska.wmv

It was 1985 I think. Here are the crews in the film:

2 - Hermann Tomczyk Audi 80 Quattro gr.A

Skoda 130 LR:
4- Haugland / Bohlin (11 SS wins)
8- Kvaizar / Janeček (8 SS wins)
11- Křeček / Motl
25- Sivík / Víta (1 SS win)
32- Maňas / Šiška
36- Šofr / Ryšánek

VAZ 2105 VFTS:
10- Valoušek / Jirátko
15- Blahna / Schovánek
19- Lank / Týce
22- Malý / Klimek

Results:
1. Křeček, 2. Haugland, 3. Kvaizar, 4. Blahna, 5. Valoušek, 6. Sivík, 7. Tomczyk, 8. Lang, 9. Maňas, 10. Tesař, 11. Vraj (both Š120LS)

[J4MIE]

Yes good try :D :up:

[Iskald]

]Iskald: Here is a video of that Valasska Zima rally, I hope the link works :)
http://www.sc-photo-archive.co.uk/videos/valasska.wmv

It was 1985 I think. Here are the crews in the film:

2 - Hermann Tomczyk Audi 80 Quattro gr.A

Skoda 130 LR:
4- Haugland / Bohlin (11 SS wins)
8- Kvaizar / Janeček (8 SS wins)
11- Křeček / Motl
25- Sivík / Víta (1 SS win)
32- Maňas / Šiška
36- Šofr / Ryšánek

VAZ 2105 VFTS:
10- Valoušek / Jirátko
15- Blahna / Schovánek
19- Lank / Týce
22- Malý / Klimek

Results:
1. Křeček, 2. Haugland, 3. Kvaizar, 4. Blahna, 5. Valoušek, 6. Sivík, 7. Tomczyk, 8. Lang, 9. Maňas, 10. Tesař, 11. Vraj (both Š120LS)

Great, Mirek! It may be my old brain confusing me, I thought it was in 86, but you are probably right about 1985.

I haven`t seen this film in maybe 20 year. This is actually the footage that my colleague Morten filmed from that rally and the report we showed on norwegian television and video. Except that my commentary is not included. But John Haugland is answering in norwegian in the interview, and the reporter holding the microphone (who you can`t see in the picture) is yours truly! In the beginning of the report there are some rally cars starting a stage (outside a football stadium I think it was) and then passing the cameraman in a long and fast left hand corner. You can see a person in a Rothmans jacket when the cameraman turns his camera around to follow the cars. The person is me...!

I don`t remember how this material was distributed outside Norway, and how it ends up on the internet today, but probably it was so that Skoda, who actually invited us down and paid our costs for filming, got a copy of the master tape without the norwegian commentary. Intrigueing indeed!

Anyway it was really funny to see this again, and it is an historical event with the debut of the Skoda Group B car, the 130 LR.

[Mirek]

Fantastic Iskald! In fact I was born in January 1985 so I can't remember anything from that days I was few weeks old :) I also don't know how the film got on the internet. I found it in ewrc forum two years a go...

[130lr]

a great movie with the old Skodas 130lr,here is photo off one off the wich drove in 1986 film hauglands old skoda,and a photo off the boss himself inspect a sterringwhee momo.