The sensational coup at the Col de Turini is celebrating its 40th anniversary: in January 1977, the ŠKODA 130 RS of the Václav Blahna/Lubislav Hlávka team won the Monte Carlo Rally in the class up to 1,300 cm3. Milan Zapadlo/Jiří Motal came second with the same car.
"The Škoda 130 RS achieved excellent results in rallies and circuit races in the 70s and 80s," says Michal Hrabánek, Head of Škosda Motorsport.
Taking part in the Monte Carlo Rally since 1912
As early as 1912, Count Sascha Kolowrat-Krakowski took part in the rally to Monte Carlo in an open-top car from Laurin & Klement. In 1936, the Skoda Popular roadster from Pohl/Hausman took second place in the class up to 1,500 cm3. In addition to the Czech drivers, drivers from Finland, Norway and Germany also earned merits for ŠKODA.
In 1961, Scandinavian private teams took part in the Monte Carlo Rally with the Skoda Octavia Touring Sport. The Finnish duo Keinänen/Eklund won in the class up to 1,300 cm3, while the Norwegians Gjolberg/Martinsen took second place.
In 1977, ŠKODA was able to repeat this triumph against even tougher competition. The works team had prepared carefully for the 'Monte', with daily training sessions of up to 500 kilometers per car. On January 22, 1977, 198 vehicles started the race, and only 45 cars were classified at the finish on January 28. Václav Blahna with Lubislav Hlávka won in the class up to 1,300 cm3, followed by Milan Zapadlo and Jiří Motal. In the overall standings, the Skoda 130 RS finished 12th and 15th respectively against the significantly larger and more powerful competitors. The third Skoda team, Svatopluk Kvaizar/Jiří Kotek, had to withdraw due to a technical problem.
Successful racing car
The Skoda 130 RS's greatest success was the overall victory in the manufacturers' classification of the 1981 European Touring Car Championship; it had already finished third the previous year. The successful era ended in 1983, when the homologation - which had already been extended by the FIA - finally expired.
The Skoda 130 RS was regarded as the 'Porsche of the East' in the 1970s and 80s, making its rally debut in 1975. The approximately four-meter-long coupé weighed only 720 kilograms. The roof, hood and outer door skins were made of light metal, while the fenders and hood were made of glass fiber reinforced plastic (GRP). A cage made of steel tubes protected the driver and front passenger.
At the rear of the Skoda 130 RS was a water-cooled four-cylinder engine with a displacement of 1.3 liters and OHV valve drive; 140 hp (103 kW) of power was sufficient for a top speed of up to 220 km/h, depending on the gear ratio. The technical refinements included Weber twin carburetors and dry sump lubrication. The crankcase was cast from aluminum.
In mid-January, Skoda Motorsport repeated its success at the Monte Carlo Rally 40 years ago, setting another milestone in the team's success story. Andreas Mikkelsen/Anders Jæger won what is probably the most famous round of the FIA World Rally Championship in the WRC2 category at the first start in the Skoda Fabia R5. With second place, Jan Kopecký/Pavel Dresler completed the double victory for Skoda Motorsport.
