LAURETA AUTO ŠKODA TEAM, that is the exact name of the new team which will have its debut this week, right at its home race and inaugural event of Czech Rally Championship 2020 - Rally Bohemia. The team is represented by the newly formed crew - Filip Mareš, the last year Junior European Rally Champion, will be joined by Radovan Bucha from Mladá Boleslav in co-driver’s seat. The Rexteam owned by Cvrček family will take care of their Škoda Fabia R5 evo race preparation.

In recent years Filip Mareš raced within Czech Autoklub driver development project. However, the initial plans for this year have changed due to corona virus outbreak and Filip's career situation did not look very optimistic. "I haven’t given up and immediately after the Czech Autoklub project ended I started to make plans for my own team. I very much appreciate the fact that even in times of economic uncertainty, there are a lot of people who, like me, have the motivation and desire to succeed. Without their support this plan would certainly not have been possible. Therefore, many thanks to everybody involved. But now I am all the happier and I also take it as a commitment to the fact that we will succeed in fulfilling our common goals" says the driver from Semčice.

The newly formed dealer team is named after one of the leading ŠKODA car dealers in Mladá Boleslav - LAURETA AUTO a.s. Moreover, the well-known company is led by the former successful competitor Mr. Jaroslav Jelínek: “I have been faithful to motorsport from the 1960s to the present times and I always enjoy returning to the environment of car competitions even in my age. I really appreciate the possibilities of cooperation with the young talented driver Filip Mareš. The newly established LAURETA AUTO ŠKODA TEAM thus combines the experience of an "old competitor" with a young energy. I would also like to thank the representatives of ŠKODA ČR, who decided to support our idea and I wish our crew many won SS and completed races. "

The idea of creating a new team around Filip Mareš was also significantly supported by the company Entry Engineering from Liberec, which has become one of the main partners in the project. "We met Filip last year when he started helping us with the "setup adjustment" of our own two-seater sports car Sigma TN and at the same time we supported his starts in the rally. Since this year, Filip is on his own, for which he gets our sympathy. Filip is not from a racing family and he had to fight hard for his success. Over the years a lot of people discouraged him. In the same way, our company initially went through a period when everyone was telling us that a small Czech company could not succeed in the Automotive industry without connections. In both cases it turned out where there is a will, there is a way, "says Pavel Paickr, managing director of Entry Engineering.

The common indicator of last year's and this year's season is not only the same race car but also Filip Mareš's ongoing connection with the manufacturer of premium tires Michelin. He is still the brand’s ambassador. "Michelin is actively involved in Motorsport because it’s in our DNA. Our goal is to improve mobility and care about safety. Thanks to Motorsport we are able to test our solutions in extreme conditions and afterwards transfer best technologies from track to street. This enables us to prove the value of our tires and provide best in class products both for Motorsport as for daily driving. That is why we are proud to cooperate with highly experienced drivers like Filip Mares who brings a lot of knowledge to tire industry development.”says Petr Cigánek, Key Account Manager for Michelin Czechia and Slovakia.

On the other hand, a big change is taking place in the co-driver’s seat. After six years of cooperation with Jan Hloušek, he is replaced by Radek Bucha from Mladá Boleslav: "I am glad for the opportunity to be at the creation of a new racing team and even more so that the debut for all of us will be the domestic Rally Bohemia. Filip and I met during the winter when working together in another racing team. When Jan Hloušek left, we soon found a common ground. I believe that despite the time-consuming preparations for the new team, we will be well prepared at the start of the season and we will transform our hard work into the best possible results, "hopes a newcomer in the R5 category before the start of the season.

LAURETA AUTO ŠKODA TEAM should take part in all events of the Czech Rally Championship. The Mareš-Bucha crew is also planning a start at the ERC launch event - Rally di Roma Capitale. "I consider the first success of this season to be that we are at its start, moreover in full strength and ready to fight for the highest possible places. Thanks again to all the partners. Special thanks to the Cvrček family and their Rexteam. Without their commitment, knowledge and help, we would not be able to start now and I am really looking forward to working with them. I also appreciate the new collaboration with Radek Bucha. Together we give absolutely everything to preparation and I believe that we will be soon perfectly synchronized. Last but not least, I also thank all the fans who have believed in me and supported me even in difficult times. Now we will try to entertain everyone with our performance in the SS "added Filip Mareš at the end.

The Filip Mareš - Radovan Bucha crew will start this Friday at Rally Bohemia with start number 3. On Saturday and Sunday, 18 special stages with a total of 150 "race" kilometers are waiting for all crews.