Fifteen special stages with total length of over 300 kilometres – this is round ten of the 2023 World Rally Championship, 67th EKO Acropolis Rally Greece. Kajetan Kajetanowicz and Maciej Szczepaniak have completed their preparations in Greece, testing their Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 on gravel roads. Triple winner of this round faces a great challenge and fight against 26 competitors in the WRC2 category.
The Acropolis Rally has been held since 1953 and it joined the WRC calendar right at the beginning, in 1973. This event have won the Rally of the Year award and presents a tough challenge for the competitors. The World Rally Championship runner-up always performs very well in demanding conditions, having won his previous rally – the African Safari. Kajetanowicz took his first victory in Greece in 2015, winning this round as the first Polish driver ever, clinching his first European Rally Championship title at the same time. It was a spectacular triumph on muddy special stages – the usual dust got soaked after heavy rainfalls. In 2017, this time on dry roads, in hot conditions, Kajetanowicz claimed another win in the Rally of Gods. He did it in great style, finishing miles ahead of his closest rival – and sealed his third European Championship title. When Acropolis Rally returned to the WRC calendar in 2021, Kajetanowicz collected his third trophy. Thanks to impressive stage times and fierce determination, the Polish crew enjoyed another victory in the iconic Greek rally.
– We are already in Greece, having completed our pre-event test. The temperatures are very high, which is quite normal at this time of the year. The heat did not disturb us, although at times it was a bit unpleasant inside the car. It’s going to be wet, slippery and muddy during the recce. Gravel roads in Greece are very tricky when it is raining. We are ready to fight in this event, which I managed to win a couple of times. I feel a great affection for this rally but I also respect it a lot. I know that these stages are difficult, there are plenty of traps on the road and we have to stay focused. Broad smiles have appeared on our faces and I hope it will stay like this for the rest of this challenging week
– Kajetan Kajetanowicz, the ORLEN Rally Team driver, commented ahead of the rally.
The international campaign of Kajetan Kajetanowicz gains momentum. After three consecutive top-three results in the World Championship over the past four years, the Polish driver reached the mid-point of the 2023 season. The ORLEN Rally Team crew hold second position in the WRC2 Challenger standings and seventh place in the overall WRC2 classification – aiming to fight for top positions. This year Kajetanowicz and Szczepaniak scored podium places in Sardegna, where they competed in a new car and finished in third position in a very strong field, and in Kenya – claiming their second win in a row there, with crushing advantage of over 11 minutes. Now it is time for Acropolis Rally, held on 7-10 September 2023.
This year’s edition takes place on 305.81 kilometres of special stages, mostly run on gravel – except for the opening test, which runs on tarmac streets in Athens. This superspecial stage, with unique character, attracts tens of thousands of spectators – it is a fantastic beginning of this iconic World Rally Championship round. The Rally of Gods is a real treat for motorsport fans from all over the world and for supporters of Kajetan Kajetanowicz it means huge excitement and emotions during fierce competition in great style – a trademark of the Polish driver.
Starts of Kajetan Kajetanowicz are supported by the title partner of the ORLEN Rally Team – PKN ORLEN, as well as technical partner Delphi Technologies, Pirelli, ATC CARGO S.A., PLATINUM ORLEN OIL brand, QUAZAR LOTOS OIL brand and SJS S.A.
