Following their phenomenal triumph in Turkey, Kajetan Kajetanowicz and Maciej Szczepaniak prepare for Rally Italia Sardegna – round six of this year’s World Rally Championship. The crews face sixteen special stages with total length of almost 240 competitive kilometres. The LOTOS Rally Team crew take part in this event for the third time, scoring an excellent second place last year.
Rally Italia Sardegna takes place on 8-11 October. After their excellent performance in Turkey, Kajetan Kajetanowicz and Maciej Szczepaniak gained ten places in the overall standings, moving up to third place in the WRC-3 championship classification. Small gaps among the frontrunners mean that the fierce battle will continue right until the end – especially with all top crews entered for this event.
– The World Rally Championship season speeds up. We move to Sardinia after our victory in Turkey. This is another gravel rally but its characteristic is more like a sprint. I know this event very well, having finished there in second position last year. This is a combination of fast Rally Estonia and twisty Rally Turkey. As always, we will try to push and do our job in the best possible way. We can expect some weather lottery because the rally takes place later than usual. Current regulations mean that the fans cannot visit the stages but we still feel their support. We notice more involvement in our social media channels and I appreciate it a lot. You make it easier for me to push the pedal to the metal
– says Kajetan Kajetanowicz, runner-up in the WRC-2 standings in 2019.
This year’s Rally Italia Sardegna takes place over four days. The 3.79-kms shakedown Olmedo is run on Thursday (8 October, at 12:01) and the competition starts on Friday. The first loop consists of two stages, with two runs of each: SS1/3 Tempio Pausania (12.08 kms, at 7:50 and 10:40) and SS2/4 Erula – Tula (21.78 kms, at 8:44 and 11:34). After 40 minutes of service break in Alghero the crews will tackle two more tests: SS5 Sedini – Castelsardo (14.72 kms, at 16:14) and SS6 Tergu – Osilo (12.81 kms, at 16:59). The day ends with another service, this time with 45 minutes of work.
Saturday marks the longest leg of the rally. The day starts with another set of two stages, with two runs: SS7/9 Monte Lerno (the longest test of the rally: 22.08 kms, at 7:37 and 10:07) and SS8/10 Coiluna – Loelle (15.00 kms, at 8:38 and 11:08). These four stages will be followed by another service break and re-run of Friday’s second loop: SS11 Sedini – Castelsardo (14.72 kms, at 16:08) and SS12 Tergu – Osilo (12.81 kms, at 17:02). Saturday comes to an end with usual 45-minutes service break.
The final leg runs on Sunday, on over 40 competitive kilometres: SS13/15 Cala Flumini (14.06 kms, at 8:15 and 10:10) and SS14/16 Sassari – Argentiera (6.89 kms, at 9:08 and 12:18) – with the second run contested as the Power Stage. The rally ends around 13:00.
Starts of Kajetan Kajetanowicz are supported by strategic partner of the LOTOS Rally Team – Grupa LOTOS – as well as Delphi Technologies, Driving Experience and Pirelli.
