New team, new co-driver but the “love and happiness” remain for ERC1 Junior champion Mares

Filip Mareš is targeting Rally di Roma Capitale’s top five when the 2020 FIA European Rally Championship begins in Italy this week.

The Czech will complete the second of two prize drives from promoter Eurosport Events for winning last season’s ERC1 Junior crown by a two-point, 0.3s margin over Chris Ingram in a thrilling final-round decider on Barum Czech Rally Zlín in August 2019.

And having finished fifth on Rally di Roma Capitale in 2019, Mareš wants to at least match that performance in the Škoda Fabia Rally2 Evo he will share with new co-driver Radovan Bucha.

“I like this event but it’s very difficult, especially when it’s a hot temperature,” he said. “It’s not easy to stay on the road and it’s demanding for the set-up. But it’s a really interesting rally and I will do everything to repeat our result from the previous year, which was fifth place. Hopefully we can fight for the top five.”

Mareš: “Very good feeling” to be back on ERC duty
“For sure it’s a very good feeling to be back as the ERC1 Junior champion from last season,” said Mareš. “To do this I have beaten Chris Ingram who is the overall ERC champion and this is very good for me. It’s also good to be back in the ERC and to see the organisers of the championship. I am sure it will be a great rally in Rome. Hopefully I can do more ERC events this year but maybe just the Tarmac rallies because it’s difficult for me to collect the budget for all the season. In these difficult times economically it’s not easy.”

New co-driver on board
With long-term co-driver Jan Hloušek joining forces with former European champion Jan Kopecký for 2020, Mareš has recruited Radovan Bucha as his replacement. “We did Rally Bohemia together, it was the first race for us and my co-driver was in a new situation because it was the first rally he did in the R5 category,” Mareš explained. “We are still setting up together but we are working very hard to be in a good shape before Rally di Roma. It will take some time and there is still a lot of things to work on for us.”

Mareš graduates with flying colours
Having completed his partnership with the Autoclub of the Czech Republic, which performed a key role in his development from national-level driver to FIA ERC1 Junior Championship winner, Mareš has joined the Laureta Auto Škoda Team, which is operated by the Rexteam and owned by the Cvrček family. Entry Engineering and Michelin are also partners in the project, which includes a Czech championship campaign.

“Many things are new because I have a new team, new co-driver, new people helping me and it’s a quite busy time for me because I am sometimes also the manager of the team as well as being the driver,” said Mareš. “But it’s also about happiness because I love it and this week I will be 100 per cent a rally driver.”

Mareš will still be entered under the ACCR Czech Rally Team banner on Rally di Roma Capitale to underline the long-standing co-operation between the two.