Sixteen special stages and over 306 competitive kilometres await the crews in Rally Chile, round eleven of the 2024 World Rally Championship. The reigning WRC2 Challenger champions, Kajetan Kajetanowicz and Maciej Szczepaniak, join the fight for the fifth time this year, out of seven rounds in which they can score the championship points. The ORLEN Rally Team duo is already in Chile, where they had a chance to test their car ahead of the rally.
Kajetanowicz and Szczepaniak hold eighth position in the standings but unlike many other competitors, they took part in just four rallies and remain in the contention for top-three championship position. Now it’s time for a very tough challenge in South America – Rally Chile is a relatively fresh event, organised for the first time in 2018. One year later it joined the World Rally Championship calendar. The route – technical, twisty and bumpy gravel stages – takes the crews mostly through forests and the weather is often rainy.
– The dust after Acropolis Rally has not settled down yet and we are already in Chile, getting ready for the final gravel round of this year’s championship. The weather is unpredictable here, winter has just ended and temperatures are not too high. These special stages are technical and difficult, with rough surface in places. For sure tyre management will be very demanding here, that’s why we focused on finding optimal set-up which would allow me to take care of the tyres but also to go fast. I am pleased, it’s been a good start of the rally week. It’s time for a really beautiful WRC round, with three very different days: narrow and fast stages on Friday, more twisty and also quick Saturday on abrasive surface and completely new Sunday – with uphill and downhill forest roads, full of blind corners. It’s going to be interesting. We are ready, with positive approach. For sure we will do our best
– says Kajetan Kajetanowicz, the reigning WRC2 Challenger champion.
Rally shakedown takes place on Thursday (26 September), with official starting ceremony in the evening. The competition begins on Friday, with two loops of three stages: SS1/4 Pulperia (19.72 kms, start at 13:35 and 19:46 CET), SS2/5 Rere (13.34 kms, at 14:30 and 20:41 CET) and SS3/6 San Rosendo (23.32 kms, at 15:21 and 21:32 CET).
The longest leg takes place on Saturday: SS7/10 Pelun (15.65 kms, at 14:07 and 20:07 CET), SS8/11 Lota (25.64 kms, at 15:01 and 21:01) and the longest stage of the rally, SS9/12 Maria las Cruces (28.31 kms, at 16:05 and 22:05 CET).
Sunday’s schedule consists of two special stages, each of them run twice: SS13/15 Laraquete (18.62 kms, at 13:32 and 15:35 CET) and SS14/16 Bio Bio (8.78 kms, at 14:35 and 18:15).
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.
