2001
Skoda works driver, Octavia WRC, co-driver Manfred Hiemer, 13 WRC rounds
The weather goes mad at the Monte this year – and Armin Schwarz brings his Skoda to the finish ramp in a sensational fourth place. Shortly afterwards he and his co-driver Manfred Hiemer finish third at the Safari Rally in Kenya. These first ever excellent WRC results for the Skoda works team are not least thanks to the technical skill of Armin Schwarz. Ninth in Cyprus and seventh in Greece give a hint of the endurance qualities of car and team. Schwarz and Hiemer bid farewell to the Skoda team at the end of the season with fifth at the Rally of Great Britain. The final results: fifth in the manufacturers championship and 12th overall for Armin in the driver classification.
These results could have been better if it had not been for four consecutive retirements: San Remo, Corsica, and Germany ended with technical problems. The Argentinian round ends after Schwarz experiences the most bizarre incident in his career: A fire engine takes a very tight corner too quickly, tips over and crushes his parked rally car. The Skoda CEO Dr. Jens Pohlmann suffers serious injury.
Results 2001
| MC |
4th |
| S |
Accident |
| P |
Clutch |
| E |
Steering |
| ARG |
Car destroyed in Parc Fermé
|
| Cyprus |
9th |
| GR |
7th |
| D |
Transmission |
| EAK |
3th |
| SF |
15th |
| I |
Electronics |
| F |
Steering, Transmission
|
| GB |
5th |
Sachsenring Rally
|
1st
|
Race of Champions
|
2nd |
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