Fish Out Of Water

The Skoda tests its mettle on track

TAKING ‘my’ Skoda Octavia RS230 to the track wasn’t in the original plan. As mentioned previously, its suspension is on the soft side and its electronic nannies can’t be completely deactivated, potentially making any hot laps an exercise in frustration. This is not a slight on the Octavia, as despite the RS badge, race track use is not likely to have been high on Skoda’s development priorities.

My resolve crumbled, however, when a Friday afternoon session became available at Sandown Raceway, just 15 minutes from MOTOR offices. A white Skoda wagon certainly turned heads in pitlane, looking particularly incongruous among the plethora of Porsches and barrage of BMW M3s.