Skoda Pickups lifted people out of their seats

In the early 1990s, the Škoda Pick-up was introduced, which was later intended to enable novice racers to make a better transition to more powerful racing equipment.

The Škoda Pick-up would not be such a special vehicle, as such cars were produced all over the world, but this version based on the Škoda Favorit had a lowered chassis, an engine from the Škoda Favorit 1.3 and, most importantly, an aerodynamic body. Autospektrum 2000 Mariánské Lázně, headed by Otakar Zenkle, presented the unfinished study at the end of 1993 at the Most autodrome.

Only 9 drivers took part in the first race at the beginning of 1994. The series gradually developed, in 1995 it was enriched with another 10 cars and no one suspected that there would be such a great interest in such a special vehicle. In the end, the project planned for three years lasted until 2002. It should be noted that the small truck burned 180 km/h and in its early days, drivers such as Svatopluk Kvajzar, Miroslav Adámek or Radim Kůrka gained experience with it.

The Favorit was later replaced by its replacement, the Škoda Felicia Pick-Up, which was first introduced in 1996 and the aerodynamic bodywork was done by the company Air Design from Mnichovo Hradiště. The engine capacity was increased from the original 1296 cc to 1498 cc. The racing car was able to reach speeds of up to 205 km/h.

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However, the cup also fulfilled one very important mission, which was to educate young novice drivers, and proof of this were the drivers Jan Kopecký, Petr Kolář, Michal Dolák, Jan Dostál, and Michal Matějovský. However, Jiří Jupa, Karel Patočka, Josef Paseka, and Václav Nimč also appeared among the drivers. The Křenek Motorsport team also included the Swiss Wani Finkbohner, and other drivers from other stables, Ing. Petr Vyplel, Jan Žemba, Jiří Parma, Jiří Bažata, Adolf Fešárek, Lubomír Foral, Miroslav Kárný, Petr Januška, and his wife Lucie Divišová, as well as Petr Levíček.

For several seasons, drivers could also participate in hillclimb races, and the cup gained a lot of attractiveness. During the races in Most, it was also part of the big FIA Truck Racing weekends, where the drivers literally lifted the spectators from their seats with their battles on the track. In 1997, Mr. Koudelka and Mr. Boš founded the company Škoda Pick-up Freestyle, which took care of small truck races, while Otakar Zenkl was able to focus on the younger Škoda Octavia project.

The last Škoda Pick-up Freestyle race was at the end of the 2002 season, under the patronage of Matador, which had been running Škoda Felicia racing vehicles for the last three years of the competition. Some models have survived to this day, so you can meet Autosport Pegas and driver Petr Kolář in the Edda Cup, which will start the season at the Most autodrome, or the Kawasaki-powered evolution.

text+photo: Vlada Rozanek