The final round of the 2020 World Rally Championship takes place in extremely difficult conditions. Rally Monza, with most of stages run on the Formula One track, brings plenty of excitement right from the start. Kajetan Kajetanowicz and Maciej Szczepaniak, representing LOTOS Rally Team, fight for a podium position in their category. After three special stages they hold fifth position in the WRC-3 standings, just eight seconds behind third-placed crew!
Friday welcomed the crews with heavy rain. Combined with low temperatures and narrow forest roads around the Formula One circuit, it meant that the competition took place in extreme conditions. The crews completed two runs of 13-kms Scorpion test. Kajetanowicz and Szczepaniak set fourth- and third-fastest times, moving up by one position in the rally standings. On third stage they also set an excellent top-ten result in the overall classification.
– The final round of the season turns out to be a big lottery. In these conditions rain tyres should perform well, but in fact the biggest gains could have been achieved on snow tyres. The grip is affected by plenty of mud on road. We are happy that we compete here and we are one of the fastest crews in our class – and this is my first tarmac rally in a Škoda. I enjoy these conditions because this reminds me of my beginnings – although I managed to forget those times a bit. Here we fight against the best competitors in the world, so it is not easy, but so far our choices are correct and we move on
– said Kajetan Kajetanowicz, triple European Rally Champion.
There are three more stages to go in the afternoon: SS4/5 Cinturato (16.22 kms, at 12:38 and 15:08) and SS6 P Zero Grand Prix (10.31 kms, at 17:38). Another two legs are scheduled for Saturday and Sunday.
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.
Rally Monza 2020 – unofficial WRC-3 results after SS3:
- Mikkelsen/Jæger (Norway, Škoda Fabia Rally2 evo) 23:53.3
- Huttunen/Lukka (Finland, Hyundai i20 R5) 23.1 s
- Lindholm/Korhonen (Finland, Škoda Fabia Rally2 evo) +27.4 s
- Solberg/Johnston (Sweden/Ireland, Škoda Fabia Rally2 evo) +33.1 s
- Kajetanowicz/Szczepaniak (Poland, Škoda Fabia Rally2 evo) +35.5 s
- Bulacia Wilkinson/Der Ohannesian (Bolivia/Argentina, Citroën C3 R5) +1:00.4 s
- McErlean/Williams (Ireland/Great Britain, Hyundai i20 R5) +1:31.7 s
- Munster/Louka (Luxembourg/Belgium, Hyundai i20 R5) +1:41.8 s
- De Cecco/Humblet (Belgium, Škoda Fabia Rally2 evo) +1:46.6 s
- Ogliari/Ciucci (Italy, Citroën C3 R5) +2:05.4 s
