Kajetan Kajetanowicz and Maciej Szczepaniak finished the 2023 Central European Rally in great style! The ORLEN Rally Team crew claimed a podium finish in the WRC2 category, in their first tarmac outing aboard a new car. It was a very efficient performance of the Polish duo in this extremely challenging event, with plenty of fans from their nearby homeland cheering along the route of this new addition to the World Rally Championship calendar.
The final leg took place on Austrian and German roads, in much better weather conditions than during previous days – but the rally still presented a huge challenge. Kajetanowicz and Szczepaniak started their first tarmac event using a new evolution of their Škoda Fabia, gaining experience at rapid pace. They did it in great style, against almost 30 WRC2 cars, including some factory crews – and the ORLEN Rally Team performed very well, claiming third position in the WRC2 and WRC2 Challenger categories. This is their third podium finish this season, after another third place in Sardegna and victory in Safari.
– Third place in the WRC2 and WRC2 Challenger standings – if you told me this before the rally, I would take these positions without hesitation. This is a great result, as it was my first tarmac rally in this car and in these tough conditions. I am happy. At the finish line, surrounded by so many Polish fans, I felt like a winner. Although there is still plenty of work to do, my head after Chile and ahead of Japan is in much clearer state than before this rally. The whole ORLEN Rally Team did a great job and I want to thank them for their effort. We need to stay focused, we have two weeks for preparation for the final WRC round this year. I am looking forward to this challenge!
– says Kajetan Kajetanowicz, the ORLEN Rally Team driver.
Now it is time for the final round of the 2023 season, Rally Japan on 16-19 November, and the showdown in battles for top-three WRC2 places and WRC2 Challenger title – with Andreas Mikkelsen and Nikolay Gryazin on the entry list, so Kajetan Kajetanowicz and Maciej Szczepaniak face yet another tough fight for top positions.
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.
Central European Rally 2023, unofficial WRC2 classification:
- Ciamin/Roche (Škoda Fabia RS Rally2) 3:04:33.0
- Cais/Trunkát (Škoda Fabia RS Rally2) +32.7
- Kajetanowicz/Szczepaniak (Škoda Fabia RS Rally2) +2:06.9
- Greensmith/Andersson (Škoda Fabia RS Rally2) +3:01.6
- Marczyk/Dymurski (Škoda Fabia RS Rally2) +3:34.5
- Griazin/Aleksandrow (Škoda Fabia RS Rally2) +3:59.0
- Wagner/Winter (Škoda Fabia RS Rally2) +4:31.1
- Březík/Krajča (Škoda Fabia RS Rally2) +5:22.0
- Zaldivar/Der Ohannesian (Hyundai i20 N Rally2) +7:40.8
- Kremer/Kremer (Škoda Fabia RS Rally2) +9:35.0
