Čermák’s change

Czech back with his Škoda Fabia I.

Reverting to one of his old Škoda Fabias, Super1600 stalwart Zdeněk Čermák has contested the Benelux double header almost purely for the fun of being here, the Czech star acknowledging that his 2009 car is not really a winning proposition.

The Škoda driver started the 2011 season with a new Fabia II and placed third at Lydden in the opening round of the championship. Another A final place followed in Portugal, before Čermák brought the car home 11th in both France and Norway. The season threatened to come to a shuddering halt in Sweden, however, where gearbox failure put him out in practice. “The gearbox we have in the new car is very special, the casing is from one manufacturer with the internals from another. We had some problems in testing at the start of the year but hoped that they were solved then one of the shafts broke in Sweden. Because it’s special it takes a long time to get the parts but we are working together with the manufacturers to get a stronger shaft made. If everything works out right it will be ready so we can have the new car for Austria and Poland [the next pair of races in the schedule],” said Čermák.

With his 2010 Fabia rented to compatriot Pavel Vimmer [see ‘Four laps’], Čermák’s only option to drive in the Belgian and Dutch events was his previous car. “It’s still a good car but not as good as my new one. Perhaps the normal thing to do would be to stay at home and wait for the new car to be ready again, but I wanted to be here and drive, this is what we do!” he said.

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