Very tough conditions made life difficult for competitors during the first Saturday’s loop of Central European Rally. The special stages were damp or wet in many places, with plenty of dirt and mud as well. Kajetan Kajetanowicz and Maciej Szczepaniak maintain consistent and fast pace, making up over 15 seconds in their charge for a top-three finish in both WRC2 and WRC2 Challenger standings!
The battle in round twelve of the 2024 World Rally Championship moved from the Czech Republic to Germany and Austria. The opening three stages were contested in weather conditions typical for autumn – it was wet, foggy and cold, making it really difficult for crews which had to be very careful and avoid errors. Many competitors made mistakes, including title challengers Thierry Neuville and Martin Wydaeghe, who left the road twice. Fortunately, the ORLEN Rally Team duo managed to avoid major setbacks. Kajetan Kajetanowicz and Maciej Szczepaniak after solid performance claimed fourth-, second- and third-fastest results in the WRC2 Challenger classification. After eleven special stages the Poles hold fourth place, with narrow gap of just 3.1 seconds to a provisional podium position in both WRC2 and WRC2 Challenger standings.
– Today we are fighting in Germany and Austria. I hoped we would drive a bit on hard tyres in good conditions but we compete again on slippery tarmac, with mud and in damp conditions. Some places in the forest are wet, with some leaves. Maybe it’s good because I have good feeling in such demanding conditions. It’s also a nice test ahead of Japan. I like these stages although some parts are surprising. I don’t want to risk too much, as the most important thing for us is to maintain good position in the championship standings and fight for another podium. At the same time I’d like to fight a bit, so it’s difficult to find a compromise. I have a smile on my face – for sure in my mind because at this level of concentration I might be making unpredictable faces. I enjoy my driving a lot
– Kajetan Kajetanowicz, triple European Rally Champion, commented midway through day two.
The same set of stages will be repeated in the afternoon. SS12 Granit und Wald (20.05 kms) gets underway at 14:28 CET, SS13 Beyond Borders (24.33 kms) at 15:35 CET and SS14 Schärdinger Innviertel (17.35 kms) at 17:04.
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.
Central European Rally, unofficial results after SS11 (WRC2 Challenger):
- Gryazin/Aleksandrov (Citroën C3 Rally2) 1:43:48.3
- Mareš/Bucha (Toyota GR Yaris Rally2) +1:17.5
- Marczyk/Gospodarczyk (Škoda Fabia RS Rally2) +1:53.1
- Kajetanowicz/Szczepaniak (Škoda Fabia RS Rally2) +1:56.2
- McErlean/Fulton (Škoda Fabia RS Rally2) +2:24.8
- Griebel/Braun (Škoda Fabia RS Rally2) +2:26.7
- Kremer/Kremer (Škoda Fabia RS Rally2) +4:47.2
- Potty/Herman (Citroën C3 Rally2) +5:11.4
- Creighton/Regan (Ford Fiesta Rally2) +5:51.5
- Cvrček/Těšínský (Škoda Fabia RS Rally2) +7:32.4
