Thermica Rally Lužické hory 2009

Date: 2 May 2009 · Car: Škoda Fabia A5 · Start number: 66 · Crew: Petr Mráz, co-driver Martin Plšek · Result: retired after stage 2

The Thermica Rally Lužické hory 2009 was our crew’s first start of the season and, after an eight-year break, our second start in the Czech Sprint Rally Championship.

Already on the road section to the first special stage one cylinder was misfiring, so we drove SS 1 on only three cylinders. Towards the end of the stage the engine picked up and we hoped everything would be fine. After the stage we checked all the fluids — everything looked fine, so we continued to SS 2 without worries.

After the start everything worked and we could gather our first experience on competitive kilometres. In the last third of the stage, however, the engine cut out again and barely made it to the finish. White smoke from under the bonnet did not bode well, so we decided to retire after SS 2.