The penultimate round of the 2024 World Rally Championship, Central European Rally, gets underway after Thursday morning’s official shakedown. The series makes its return to asphalt roads after seven gravel events. Kajetan Kajetanowicz and Maciej Szczepaniak enter the competition, taking place in three countries, making their sixth start out of seven in the WRC2 and WRC2 Challenger championships.
The first edition of Central European Rally took place last year. It is a unique event, with joint effort of three host countries creating an exceptional motosport competition. The opening loop is organised in the Czech Republic and the following two days take the crews to Austria and Germany. The ORLEN Rally Team duo enjoy great memories from last season – Kajetanowicz and Szczepaniak scored another top-three finish in their category.
– We have completed both recce and shakedown ahead of Central European Rally, penultimate round of the 2024 World Rally Championship. It will be a tough rally and we already know it. We haven’t started the competition yet but we have done a lot of hard work, spending every night of the past week in different place. Over the next couple of days we will travel more, covering long distances between different countries – in the Czech Republic, Germany and Austria, with changeable surface characteristics. We face variable grip levels on Friday, with plenty of mud traps and possible frost and fog, so I expect slippery conditions. Austrian and German stages have good rhythm but they are very narrow, with many bollards at the corner apexes which might move around, being hit by other cars. It is a demanding rally, both physically and when it comes to feeling in the car on asphalt – I haven’t driven on sealed surface for eleven months. However, I am feeling better and better, so we have positive attitude. We get to the business soon!
– Kajetan Kajetanowicz, triple European Rally Champion, says ahead of the rally.
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.
