Kajetan Kajetanowicz and Maciej Szczepaniak have completed the shakedown ahead of Rally del Paraguay. On Thursday night they will take part in the lavishly prepared starting ceremony for round ten of the 2025 World Rally Championship season.
Rally del Paraguay Rally, making its debut in the World Rally Championship calendar, opens the final part of an exciting season. For Kajetanowicz and Szczepaniak, third-placed crew in the WRC2 Challenger standings, this is the fifth appearance this year.
The ORLEN Rally Team crew completed intensive preparations ahead of the first of their two outings in South America. Kajetan and Maciek have already become familiar with the unique characteristics of the Paraguayan gravel roads, with their unique red colour. They started with two days of testing, searching for the optimal setup of their Toyota GR Yaris Rally2, followed by recce on Tuesday and Wednesday. They drove through the stages, which combine high-speed sections with tricky crests and twisty parts, often covered with mud.
On Thursday morning, local time, Kajetanowicz and Szczepaniak arrived at the shakedown and were invited by the WRC promoter to participate in a prestigious, televised run. The Polish crew completed one pass of the shakedown, taking care of their tyres which they will use also during proper competition.
We are just hours away from the start of Rally del Paraguay. We have completed the official shakedown, as usual mainly in order to check the car, and now we are fully focused on the competition. The stages are more challenging than I thought when watching footage provided by the organisers. The rhythm is very variable, there are lots of crests and some places with heavy bumps and dips – this was not visible in the videos and it makes this rally really challenging. The surface gets very slippery when wet but it can actually change dramatically even in dry conditions. The changeable grip guarantees a very demanding rally. I am happy to be here. We have been very warmly welcomed and the atmosphere in Paraguay is incredible. This gives us even more motivation. I can’t wait to start
– Kajetan Kajetanowicz, triple European Rally Champion, said before the start of the rally, at the same time reminding the fans about safe behaviour on the stages.
Thursday’s program also features the official opening ceremony. As announced by the organisers, it is being prepared with a grand scale. The starting ramp is located in the center of Encarnación on the Sambódromo, an avenue used for major parades and carnivals. The promenade, surrounded by grandstands, can accommodate up to twelve thousand spectators. Real competition gets underway on Friday. The first – and longest – leg of round ten of the 2025 season consists of eight special stages, all of them run twice: Cambyreta (18.70 kms), Nueva Alborada (19.25 kms), Yerbateras (30 kms), and Autódromo (2.50 kms). Overall, the crews will complete more than 140 kilometres of special stages.
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.
