The Abarth factory challenge on the Barum Rally Zlín which gets underway in 48 hours time will be well supported by four privately entered Abarth Grande Puntos including the JM Engineering-run machine of rapid local youngster Jaroslav Orsák. Orsák is not afraid of the short notice change of car. "We have already tried the car (above), we’re going to test it now and drive about seventy kilometres with it, so we’ll know the car quite well," he said at the weekend. This will be the Czech youngster's fourth start on the Barum rally Zlín and Orsák (above, during a recent shakedown test with the JM Engineering-run car) comes to the event in the lead of the Czech Rallysprint Championship.

The Abarth factory challenge for honours on the 39th Barum Rally Zlín which is set to get underway in just 48 hours time will be well supported by four privately entered Abarth Grande Puntos including the JM Engineering Zlín-run machine of rapid local youngster Jaroslav Orsák. As well as counting towards the Czech National Rally Championship the 39th Barum Czech Rally Zlín this coming weekend will also the eighth round of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge (IRC) and the seventh round of the FIA European Rally Championship (ERC).

Four privately-entered Abarth Grande Puntos will support the pair of factory-run cars which will be piloted by reigning Italian Rally Champion Giandomenico Basso and the current FIA ERC Champion Luca Rossetti. As well as Orsák, the IRC 2WD Cup champion Marco Cavigioli, who also appeared in the last round of the IRC in Madeira in the Italian Super 2000 car (although the he dropped out at the very end of the rally after a good drive), will line-up alongside another Czech driver Jaromir Tarabus, who will have factory support for his challenge (including the new engine evolution and servicing assistance) while a Polish-entry for the ever-quick Grzegorz Grzyb completes the representation from the Italian Super 2000 machines.

However while Basso will be targeted victory in his chase for maximum IRC and ERC point, Orsak will be looking for a strong finish. For the 39th Barum Czech Rally Zlín Orsak is swapping his usual GpN Mitsubishi Evo IX to drive an Abarth Grande Punto for the first time with the rally machine being run by the highly-respected JM Engineering Zlín outfit which actually owns three of the Italian Super 2000 cars. Orsák comes into the prestigious rally with a successful record in one-day events in his native Czech Republic so far this year as he is at present riding high at the top of the unofficial standings of the national Rallysprint Championship.

The deal to drive an Abarth Grande Punto on the rally in fact only came together at the very last minute. "Thirty minutes before the deadline I was offered to participate in the Barum Rally with a Super 2000 car. I didn’t hesitate," explained Orsák. Despite the fact he will be driving a competitive car Orsák is however cautious in overestimating his possibilities on the rally which has attracted a top-class entry of 119 crews which will include a record-setting 25 cars in the Super 2000 category. "The competition will be huge. Besides we won’t be driving the latest model of the Fiat but last year's model so we won’t be able to compete with the factory teams. We will try to finish as good as possible, of course, but we’re going to enjoy the race above all," commented the Czech youngster, who will have co-driver Karel Vajík alongside as usual.

While he is on a roll in the Rallysprint Championship, Orsák hopes that by switching to a new car it will help him break the bad luck streak which he has had in the Czech Rally Championship this year. "It started during the Valašská Rally where we had technical difficulties and we’ve been unlucky since then," he says. "When the car was working again, I made a mistake. Hopefully, this will change during the Barum Rally and we will get to the finish at last."

Orsák is not afraid of the short notice he has had in changing his car. "We have already tried the car, we’re going to test it now and drive about seventy kilometres with it, so we’ll know the car quite well," he said at the weekend. Its been a very busy year for Orsák already, having contested nine events so far which has seen a string of podium visits for the youngster. However while he has been using a Mitsubishi Evo for the last four years (having switched from the Subaru Impreza that he started out in in 2005) he also has some experience of Super 2000 cars to bring to the Barum Rally Zlín as he contested his first event of this season, the Šumava Rallye Klatovy, in April, at the wheel of a Peugeot 207 S2000. Orsák also has plenty experience of the fast, demanding stages of the Barum Czech Rally Zlín to add to the equation, as, when he takes the start of the first stage on Friday, this will be his fourth start of the country's most prestigious rally.