It seems that the VW group has put a kibosh on the Skoda WRC team for 2006. They have announced that they will not be running a factory team next year (like Citroen). That’s the bad news! 

However the good news is that they (like Citroen) will be supporting the privateer teams that are entering the championship, so semi factory then. The two teams that will be running WRC05 Fabia vRS’s are, the Czech team of Jan Kopecky and Austria’s Red Bull Skoda Team run by Raimund Baumschlager. 

Now this is sort of good news for Skoda fans, Red Bull have never welched out of motor sport funding in the past so expect them to be well funded, and Jan Kopecky’s team is based 5 minutes from the WRC team’s factory! so they should have access to the team’s staff etc. 

The likelihood of Skoda making a full factory return has not been ruled out with these two statements making it clear that they are trying to steer the rules in a more manufacturer friendly way (the same reasons that Citroen and Peugeot said they were leaving) 

“We have given our future participation in the World Rally Championship a lot of serious thought and we believe that this is the most cost-effective way in which to maintain the Skoda brand’s presence in the series,” said Detlef Wittig, Skoda Auto’s board Chairman. 

“Skoda Auto will continue to observe the development of the championship and its regulations and will decide at some point in the future whether or not we will one day return as a factory team,” Skoda’s head of R&D Harald Ludanek said. 

No news yet as to who the driver line-up for both teams is going to be, but I would not be surprised if Colin Mcrae does not get offered a drive for one of them (if not both). 

Good luck to both teams.