Kajetan Kajetanowicz and Maciej Szczepaniak completed the second stage of Rally de Paraguay with good and consistent pace, setting top-three stage times in the WRC2 Challenger category. The ORLEN Rally Team duo now face the final day of the new World Rally Championship round.
Saturday afternoon in Paraguay brought another runs of three special stages already completed in the morning. The crews tackled Carmen del Paraná (18.67 kms), Artigas (22.73 kms) and Cantera (13.74 kms) tests – adding up to more than 55 demanding kilometres of stages, with difficulty level raised further by the increasingly damaged surface and rocks being pulled out to the road. The weather conditions also did not make it easy for the competitors. Temperatures in the Itapúa department, hosting top drivers of the world, reached almost 35 degrees Celsius.
Kajetanowicz and Szczepaniak continued to maintain good and consistent pace, once again featuring at the top of the leaderboard. At the finish of stages fourteen and fifteen they recorded second and third fastest times in the WRC2 Challenger category. The Poles completed all stages scheduled for today, testing their car setup at full speed and adapting it to evolving road conditions.
Saturday in Paraguay was rather calm although the stages were quite fast. On the final loop we set two top-three stage times. I think it went well. My driving is getting better and better, we are checking different setups as we are no longer fighting for big points. We are moving up the order but after yesterday’s bad luck there is no chance to make big gains. However, we are obviously fighting as hard as we can. We also don’t want to overcook it, although it is not easy. I am not familiar with these stages, I am driving them for the first time. Every rally debutant has a similar feeling. We simply don’t know where the surprises are. The atmosphere is great, there are plenty of fans. Paraguay loves rallies, and it is obvious everywhere. I admit that it’s hard to find a quiet spot to stop and work between special stages. We are looking for a place to take a break but everywhere people immediately stop us and take up a bit of our time, which is also very nice. It shows how popular rallies are here. I am getting little capybara mascots from fans, it’s very nice. Of course, the driving is the most important thing, and that’s why we are here
– Kajetan Kajetanowicz, the ORLEN Rally Team driver, commented after Saturday.
Only four special stages are scheduled for Sunday, but their total distance reaches almost 80 kilometres. The final leg starts at 13:29 CET and will consist of repeated runs of Bella Vista (21.25 kms) and Misión Jesuítica Trinidad (18.50 kms) stages. The latter is named after the ruins of Jesuit buildings, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
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.
