ŠKODA POPULAR SPORT (1936) - outstanding success at the Monte Carlo Rally

85 years ago, Zdeněk Pohl and Jaroslav Hausman set off in the ŠKODA POPULAR SPORT from Mladá Boleslav for the famous Monte Carlo Rally. In the principality of Monaco, they drove the roadster to one of the greatest successes in ŠKODA AUTO's motorsport history. The Monte Carlo Rally, which is as famous as it is challenging, was first held in 1911 to attract tourists to the Principality of Monaco even during the cold winter months. Zdeněk Pohl and Jaroslav Hausman took part in the fifteenth edition, which was held from January 25 to February 2, 1936, in the ŠKODA POPULAR SPORT and held their own impressively against the competition. As success in the Rally Monte Carlo was decided at the time by the length and difficulty of the route from one of the official starting points, Pohl and Hausman set off from Athens and traveled to Monaco via the Riviera. Other possible starting points included Bucharest, Palermo, Stavanger or Tallinn. From Prague, the two covered a distance of 850 kilometers in the ŠKODA POPULAR SPORT to the ferry in Trieste within 17 hours. After arriving in the Greek metropolis of Athens, Zdeněk Pohl and Jaroslav Hausman had four days to recover and prepare their vehicle technically for the rally. However, they did not have a mechanic or a professionally equipped service vehicle at their disposal for this purpose.