World-renowned DJ and producer, Tiësto, has helped design a one-of-a-kind edition of the new ŠKODA Citigo which is up for auction on eBay over ten days to raise money for housing and homelessness charity Shelter.

Mixmag’s “Greatest DJ of All Time” celebrated the launch of the Citigo at the Geneva Motor Show earlier this year and has worked with ŠKODA to design a special model of the car. The Citigo “Tiësto Edition” has an exclusive custom body, a stunning DJ-themed paint design and alloy wheels as well as a customised high specification and power sound system to ensure the highest bidder will have the best audio experience possible.

The auction, running on eBay, began last Friday and continues until 14:22 Monday 6th August; with 100% of proceeds going to the housing and homelessness charity Shelter. One of only ten “Tiësto Editions” in existence, the car being auctioned in the UK has the added exclusivity of being the only right-hand drive version anywhere in the world, making it a truly one-of-a-kind vehicle.

Luxurious features of the model include a chrome and leather interior, heated seats and state of the art Portable Infotainment Device including Bluetooth®, media player, satnav and trip computer.

Article source: www.skoda.co.uk

It was also the 25th IRC win for ŠKODA, making it the most successful manufacturer in the series.

Andreas dominated the rock-strewn gravel event, with a mix of rough-terrain technical set-up (the Fabia S2000 was running on its maximum ride height) and no-risk driving strategy paying dividends. His second win (following Rally Azores) and sixth podium of the season gives Andreas a 49 point lead in the IRC Drivers’ category, while ŠKODA inches closer to its third consecutive Manufacturers’ title.

Andreas set the fastest time on all seven of Leg 1’s stages, turning the normal disadvantage of running first on the road to his benefit in the dusty conditions. As all his main rivals hit either technical problems, suffered punctures or were slowed in dust, a controlled and faultless performance saw Andreas open up a 2min 44.1sec lead at the overnight halt.

Leg 2 was even hotter and rougher, with two very long stages (repeated) held in mid-30ºC temperatures in the beautiful central Transylvanian region of Romania, followed by a closing superspecial stage.

ŠKODA looked on course for a 1-2 finish, until Sepp Wiegand hit a rock on SS10 and had to retire his ŠKODA Deutschland Fabia S2000 from 2nd place with broken right rear suspension. Andreas hit the same rock, but was able to reach the finish of the stage with a front right flat tyre – his only minor problem of the entire event.

In the end, Andreas set the fastest time on 10 of the events 12 stages, and led from start to finish.

Andreas: “We won with a good margin, but it was a very tough event and it’s been a long weekend. The roads were very rough and for us it was a case of taking no risks and driving to avoid all the big rocks.

“This victory is a fantastic feeling for the whole ŠKODA UK Motorsport team, and if it wasn’t for their great work I wouldn’t be here at the end of such a tough event. We’ve been so close in the last rounds with a lot of second places, so it’s great to be back on the top step of the podium.”

The next round of the IRC is the Barum Czech Rally Zlín (August 31-2 September)

Final positions (provisional after SS12):

1. Andreas Mikkelsen/Ola Fløene (ŠKODA Fabia S2000)….2hrs 15mins 28.0secs

2. Patrik Flodin/Goran Bergsten (Ford Fiesta S2000)….+5mins 33.8secs

3. Francois Delecour/Dominique Savignoni (Peugeot 207 S2000)….+11mins 56.9secs

4. Vitaliy Pushkar/Ivan Mishyn (Mitsubishi)….+13mins 57.2secs

5. Edwin Keleti/Botond Csomortani (Mitsubishi)….+14mins 45.6secs

6. Robert Consani/Cédric (Renault Clio)….+17mins 26.7secs

7. Valentin Porcisteanu/Dan Dobre (Mitsubishi)…+18mins 04.6secs

8. Harry Hunt/Robbie Durant (Citroën DS3)….+18mins 46.6secs

9. Vlad Cosma/Florin Dorca (Citroën C2)….+20mins 56.3secs

10. Asja Zupanc/Spela Trcek (Mitsubishi)….+21mins 14.0secs

IRC points (provisional after Round 8)

Drivers’

1. Andreas Mikkelsen….132pts

2. Jan Kopecký…83pts

3. Juho Hänninen….68pts

4. Sepp Wiegand….52pts

5. Giandomenico Basso….40pts

6. Patrik Flodin….28pts

Manufacturers’

1. ŠKODA….307pts

2. Peugeot….169pts

3. M-Sport….102pts

4. Renault….86pts

5. Subaru….63pts

6. Honda….36pts

Article source: www.skoda.co.uk

ŠKODA AUTO will again be the main sponsor and official vehicle partner of the Tour de France in 2012. The automobile manufacturer’s support of the 99th edition of the classic bike race will already mark the ninth time that ŠKODA have sponsored the Tour.

“In the next three weeks, the Tour de France will excite cycling fans from all over the world,” says Jürgen Stackmann, ŠKODA’s board member for Sales and Marketing. “As the main sponsor, we share in this excitement for cycling. For ŠKODA – being the third-oldest vehicle brand of the world still in operation – began its success story with the manufacture of bicycles in the year 1895. And in 2012, an audience of billions will again see our brand and our models thanks to the Tour,” according to Stackmann.

Within the framework of their sponsorship activities, the Czechs will send a vehicle fleet of approximately 110 vehicles to France. Moreover, the brand is the partner of the ‘White Jersey’ – for the best rider under 25 years – and supports five professional teams and two technical assistance teams.

ŠKODA will provide the 110 vehicles to the organisers of the Tour de France. In doing so, the car manufacturer will deploy its entire current model range from the Citigo to the Superb. Besides the escort vehicles for the organisers and riders, the red ŠKODA Superb of Tour director Christian Prudhomme may catch people’s eyes. ŠKODA will also participate actively in the advertising caravan. The so-called ‘caravane publicitaire’ drives one to two hours ahead of the field and is a very popular attraction for spectators due to its varied accompanying program.

This year’s Tour de France again promises top-class cycling. The famous/infamous ‘tour of suffering’ attracts approximately 15 million people along its route, plus about two billion TV viewers throughout the world. Only the World Cup and the Olympic Games attract more people. In 2012, the Tour de France will start with the traditional prologue in the Belgian town of Liège on June 30th. On July 22nd, after having covered 3,479 kilometers, the riders will reach the finish line on the Paris Boulevard of Champs-Elysées.

“With it vigor and its wide audience appeal, this sport is a perfect match for the ŠKODA brand,” according to Jürgen Stackmann. Besides ice-hockey, cycling is the most important pillar of ŠKODA’s sponsorship strategy. That also includes the commitment to cycling as a mass sport. For example, the manufacturer supports the Czech event ‘Cycling for Life’ as well as the ‘Velothon’ held in the German capital of Berlin.

Article source: www.skoda.co.uk