Kajetan Kajetanowicz and Maciej Szczepaniak lead the WRC2 Challenger standings and hold second position in the WRC2 classification! Rising temperatures, worsening road conditions and thick dust – these are the challenges for crews competing in Acropolis Rally. The ORLEN Rally Team duo perform very well in tough conditions.
After Thursday’s opening ceremony in Athens, the rally circus travelled 100 kilometres west from the capital city of Greece, staying overnight in Loutraki – town situated nearby the Corinth Canal.
This morning the schedule consisted of two stages: Aghii Theodori (27.76 kms) and Loutraki (12.90 kms). The first of those turned out to be especially demanding and on top of that the crews completed two runs of the longest test of this year’s edition.
In tough conditions, with raising temperatures, in thick dust and on rocky roads Kajetanowicz and Szczepaniak avoided mistakes, unlike many of their competitors. They completed three clean runs over the opening loop, setting third, second and first stage times in the WRC2 Challenger standings – claiming the lead in their category and second position in overall WRC2 classification. The only incident in the morning was not caused by the Polish crew. They encountered a troubled car of Jan Solans and Rodrigo Sanjuan on their way but dangerous situation resulted in time loss only – and the stewards might decide to correct their result.
Following an appetiser in Athens – a short show yesterday, on asphalt surface – it’s time for the main rally dish: special stages in Greek mountains. We climb through stones, we drive downhill through stones or rather rocks, in the ruts. The road is heavily damaged, sometimes it’s just a lottery. The tyres are affected, they suffer from delamination. It’s very hot inside the car, keeping the concentration is a challenge – and that’s just the beginning of the day. We are in second position in the WRC2 and first in the WRC2 Challenger standings, in our category. We are not looking at factory drivers although some of them also compete in the WRC2 Challenger. The feeling is optimistic but a lot of things can still happen. We enjoy the moment but honestly I have to admit that it’s not so easy in 70 degrees Celsius inside the car
– Kajetan Kajetanowicz commented after the first loop on Friday.
Short remote service took place in Loutraki, with limited chances to work on the cars, as per regulations. Afterwards the rally moved towards Lamia, main headquarters of the event, where the crews will arrive in the evening. On their way they will tackle three more stages: Thiva (19.58 kms), Stiri (24.18 kms) and Elatia (11.58 kms).
Starts of Kajetan Kajetanowicz are supported by the title partner of the ORLEN Rally Team – ORLEN S.A., as well as technical partner Delphi and ORLEN OIL.
Acropolis Rally Greece, unofficial WRC2 Challenger classification after SS4:
1. Kajetanowicz/Szczepaniak (Toyota GR Yaris Rally2) 50:26,3
2. Sarrazin/Roche (Citroën C3 Rally2) +59,4
3. Schwarz/Ettel (Toyota GR Yaris Rally2) +1:32,0
4. Prokop/Ernst (Škoda Fabia RS Rally2) +1:42,9
5. Cachón/Rozada (Toyota GR Yaris Rally2) +1:47,7
6. B. Bulacia/Morales (Toyota GR Yaris Rally2) +2:39,0
7. Linnamäe/Morgan (Toyota GR Yaris Rally2) +3:10,7
8. Joona/Vaaleri (Škoda Fabia RS Rally2) +3:12,3
9. Trentin/Ometto (Škoda Fabia RS Rally2) +3:24,5
10. Virves/Viilo (Škoda Fabia RS Rally2) +3:25,2
