Kajetan Kajetanowicz and Maciej Szczepaniak have impressed with excellent pace on the opening Friday’s loop of ORLEN 80th Rally Poland, fighting at the top of both WRC2 and WRC2 Challenger standings. The ORLEN Rally Team duo set top-three times on two stages, winning one of them among Rally2 cars!
Kajetan Kajetanowicz, co-driven by Maciej Szczepaniak, have started Friday’s leg of ORLEN 80th Rally Poland in style! The Polish crew set fastest time among all Rally2 cars on SS4 Olecko (13.2 kms) and went third-fastest in the WRC2 Challenger category on SS2 Stańczyki (29,4 kms), the longest test of the rally. Good pace of the ORLEN Rally Team duo allowed them to move up into second position in the rally classification, less than five seconds behind the leaders, Pajari/Mälkönen.
– It’s been a successful loop for us, excellent times on the stages and one win. I have a good feeling in the car. I am driving for the fans, risking a bit more than usually – as you can see it on the stages – but you need to do it in order to fight with the best drivers in the world. I enjoy my driving a lot. Everything can happen but this was a good beginning of the rally. We see plenty of fans along the stages, they encourage us to fight. One stage was unfortunately cancelled due to safety reasons but I am happy that everybody is OK and we are here
– says Kajetan Kajetanowicz, the reigning WRC2 Challenger champion.
Friday’s opening loop of round seven of the 2024 World Rally Championship was supposed to consist of three special stages. Unfortunately, due to unsafe behaviour of spectators, SS3 Wieliczki (12.9 kms) was interrupted and then cancelled. After regrouping and refuelling, the crews will tackle the same set of stages, before finishing the day on Mikołajki Arena, with a short superspecial.
Starts of Kajetan Kajetanowicz are supported by the title partner of the ORLEN Rally Team – ORLEN S.A., as well as technical partner Delphi, Pirelli, ORLEN OIL, ATC CARGO S.A. and SJS S.A.
ORLEN 80th Rally Poland, unofficial results after SS4 (WRC2 Challenger):
- Pajari/Mälkönen (Toyota GR Yaris Rally2) 31:20.5
- Kajetanowicz/Szczepaniak (Škoda Fabia RS Rally2) +4.7
- Gryazin/Aleksandrov (Citroën C3 Rally2) +11.3
- McErlean/Fulton (Škoda Fabia RS Rally2) +13.4
- Joona/Hussi (Škoda Fabia RS Rally2) +18.1
- Virves/Lesk (Škoda Fabia RS Rally2) +19.3
- Marczyk/Gospodarczyk (Škoda Fabia RS Rally2) +22.2
- Linnamäe/Morgan (Toyota GR Yaris Rally2) +30.4
- Korhonen/Viinikka (Toyota GR Yaris Rally2) +37.1
- Prokop/Ernst (Škoda Fabia Rally2 evo) +50.3
