Jan Kopecký (born January 28, 1982) is a professional
rally driver
Rally is a wide-ranging form of motorsport with various competitive motoring elements such as speed tests (often called ''rally racing),'' navigation tests, or the ability to reach waypoints or a destination at a prescribed time or average speed. ...
from
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. Th ...
who drives for
Škoda Motorsport
Škoda Motorsport is the division of Czech car manufacturer Škoda Auto responsible for motorsport activities. The team had competed as a manufacturer in the World Rally Championship between 1999 and 2005 and Intercontinental Rally Challenge (b ...
. He is the
2013 ERC champion,
2018 WRC-2 champion as well as a multiple champion of the
Czech Rally Championship
The Czech Rally Championship is a rallying series based in the Czech Republic. The first championship was run in 1994.
Czech Rally Championship Champions
Multiple wins by individual
Multiple wins by car manufacturer
Czech Sprintrally Cha ...
Career

After beginning his career as a circuit touring cars driver, Kopecký changed to rallysport in 2001, winning the national sprintrally championships at first. In 2004 he won the national classical rally championships and entered the world championships next year.
In the
2006 World Rally Championship season he competed with co-driver Filip Schovánek driving a
Škoda Fabia WRC. Kopecký won 3 Special Stages, SS18 at the
2006 Rally d'Italia Sardegna and SS9 and SS14 at the
2006 Rallye Deutschland
The 2006 OMV ADAC Rallye Deutschland was the ninth round of the 2006 World Rally Championship season. It took place between August 11-13, 2006.
Results
Special Stages
All dates and times are CEST (UTC+2).
External links
ResultsaeWRC.coma
...
. His best finish was 5th place at the
2006 Rally Catalunya, he scored 7 points and 15th position.
In
2007
File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto ...
, he continued competing with the Fabia and placed 12th in the drivers' world championship. His best finish was 5th place at the
2007 Rallye Deutschland, he scored more points than in 2006, 10 points and 12th position.
In
2008
File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing ...
Kopecký entered
Rally México
Rally Mexico, formerly known as Rally America is a round of the FIA World Rally Championship. The rally entered the championship schedule in the 2004 season. The event's itinerary is based in the state of Guanajuato. The stages take place in ...
with
Fiat Grande Punto Abarth S2000
The Fiat Punto is a supermini car (B-segment) produced by the Italian manufacturer Fiat from 1993 to 2018, spanning over three generations. The third generation of the car was marketed between 2005 and 2009 as the Grande Punto, and between 2009 a ...
but retired at 2nd special stage. After that he switched to
Peugeot 207 S2000 and
Intercontinental Rally Challenge
The Intercontinental Rally Challenge was an FIA-sanctioned rallying series organised by SRW Events and Eurosport Events, and aimed to "give new opportunities to young or amateur rally drivers competing in recognised regional and international ra ...
. His best result was 2nd place at the Rally Portugal and after Rally Russia he was hired by Škoda Motorsport and started testing
Škoda Fabia S2000
The Škoda Fabia S2000 is a Super 2000 rally car built by Škoda Motorsport. It is based upon the Škoda Fabia road car.
History
It made its début at Rallye Monte Carlo 2009, with factory team Škoda Motorsport and drivers Jan Kopecký and ...
.
Kopecký competed in the
Intercontinental Rally Challenge
The Intercontinental Rally Challenge was an FIA-sanctioned rallying series organised by SRW Events and Eurosport Events, and aimed to "give new opportunities to young or amateur rally drivers competing in recognised regional and international ra ...
with a works Škoda Fabia
Super 2000
Super 2000 is an Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile, FIA powertrain specification used in the World Rally Championship, the British Touring Car Championship, the World Touring Car Championship, and other touring car racing, touring car ...
finishing second in the championship and winning two events, the Rally Principe de Asturias and Barum Czech Rally Zlín, making him the first Czech driver to win the rally in a Czech car.
Kris Meeke became champion with Peugeot 207 S2000 in 2009.
In
2010
File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...
Kopecký continued his relationship with Škoda and also with his good performance in IRC. He won
Rally Islas Canarias and finished 2nd at
Ypres Rally
The Belgium Ypres Westhoek Rally (BYWR) founded by Frans Thévelin in 1965 is one of the most famous rallies in the European Rally Championship, the Belgian Rally Championship, the British Rally Championship, and the Intercontinental Rally Chal ...
and at
Rali Vinho da Madeira but he also twice retired from 1st position almost at the end of rally. It was at
Rally Azores and at
Barum Rally Zlín. Kopecký was again 2nd in drivers standings, this time
Juho Hänninen
Juho Ville Matias Hänninen (born 25 July 1981) is a Finnish rally driver. He is the 2010 Intercontinental Rally Challenge (IRC) champion and 2011 Super 2000 World Rally Championship (S-WRC) champion with co-driver Mikko Markkula driving a work ...
, 2nd factory driver of
Škoda Motorsport
Škoda Motorsport is the division of Czech car manufacturer Škoda Auto responsible for motorsport activities. The team had competed as a manufacturer in the World Rally Championship between 1999 and 2005 and Intercontinental Rally Challenge (b ...
was champion.
In
2011 Kopecký was entered by
Škoda Motorsport
Škoda Motorsport is the division of Czech car manufacturer Škoda Auto responsible for motorsport activities. The team had competed as a manufacturer in the World Rally Championship between 1999 and 2005 and Intercontinental Rally Challenge (b ...
at the
2011 Monte Carlo Rally alongside of
Freddy Loix
Freddy Loix (born 10 November 1970) is a Belgian rally driver.
Career
Loix's career in motor sport began in karting at the age of 15. In 1990, he bought his first rally car, a Lancia Delta group N, though he soon progressed to a Mitsubishi Ga ...
,
Juho Hänninen
Juho Ville Matias Hänninen (born 25 July 1981) is a Finnish rally driver. He is the 2010 Intercontinental Rally Challenge (IRC) champion and 2011 Super 2000 World Rally Championship (S-WRC) champion with co-driver Mikko Markkula driving a work ...
and
Nicolas Vouilloz.In 2021 he entered to the Hungarian Rally Championship with a Skoda Fabia Rally2 Evo under the Topp Cars Rally Team alongside the Czech Championship .
Results
WRC results
* Season still in progress.
WRC-2 results
WRC-2 Pro results
IRC results
ERC results
* Season still in progress.
Czech Rally Championship
The Czech Rally Championship is a rallying series based in the Czech Republic. The first championship was run in 1994.
Czech Rally Championship Champions
Multiple wins by individual
Multiple wins by car manufacturer
Czech Sprintrally Cha ...
results
* Season still in progress.
References
External links
IRC Official SiteJan Kopecký – profile at ewrc-results.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kopecky, Jan
1982 births
Living people
Czech rally drivers
Intercontinental Rally Challenge drivers
European Rally Championship drivers
World Rally Championship drivers
People from Opočno
Sportspeople from the Hradec Králové Region