Crews taking part in Rally Italia Sardegna have already completed three days of thrilling competition. Kajetan Kajetanowicz and Maciej Szczepaniak covered more kilometres quickly and flawlessly, holding second position in the WRC2 Challenger category ahead ot the final leg of the Italian round of 2026 World Rally Championship.
After a service break – used for a brief rest, any necessary car repairs and setup changes – the competitors headed out for second loop of the same three special stages: Lerno-Sa Conchedda-Monti di Alà (24.14 kms), Coiluna-Loelle (24.83 kms) and Solorchè (12.86 kms). In total, they covered another run of over 60 competitive kilometres.
Kajetanowicz and Szczepaniak stood up to the challenge of the afternoon loop. They remained unfazed by rising temperatures and increasingly damaged roads, which certainly made the task difficult and took a heavy toll. At the start of the loop, the Poles posted third-fastest time among the WRC2 Challenger crews. The next stage saw the ORLEN Rally Team duo finish fifth, although the time loss was partially caused by a slow puncture. Some parts of the final test resembled a cross-country event, so Kajto and Maciek drove the final kilometres of the day at cautious pace. Overall, they maintain second place in the WRC2 Challenger standings and fourth in the overall WRC2 classification.
We have completed the longest day of Rally Italia Sardegna. We are heading into Sunday with second place in the WRC2 Challenger standings. However, this year’s world champion is driving very fast and I don’t think I am able to match his pace. Hats off to him. We are fighting, for sure we will not give up and we will try to find even better setup. Of course, after a year-long break from gravel rallying it is not easy to know everything and to get good feeling instantly. However, I think we should be – and we are – pleased. It is even better than we expected. It is clear that we always want to fight for victory, but that is not always possible. It is a very tough rally and there are still four special stages to go. We will do everything to achieve the best possible result. We enjoy driving and this is very important – especially in such a difficult rally, demanding basically in every aspect, including physical one. Sardegna sometimes feels more like a cross-country event than a standard gravel rally. I was discussing this with the mechanics today, comparing Sardegna to Acropolis Rally, which is of course a beautiful event but although quite rocky, the roads are relatively smooth there and gravel stages here, on the Italian island, are not a walk in the park. Keep your fingers crossed for us tomorrow
– commented Kajetan Kajetanowicz, the 2023 WRC2 Challenger champion.
The final day of Rally Italia Sardegna – and of the whole season – features four special stages, with two runs of Osilo-Tergu (23.71 kms) and the famous Sassari-Argentiera (7.10 kms) tests. The latter runs right along the Mediterranean coast for its final kilometres.
Starts of Kajetan Kajetanowicz are supported by title partner of the ORLEN Rally Team – ORLEN S.A., as well as technical partner Delphi and ORLEN OIL.
Rally Italia Sardegna 2026 – unofficial WRC2 Challenger standings after SS13:
- Korhonen/Viinikka Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 2:50:56,2
- Kajetanowicz/Szczepaniak Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 +1:53,4
- Virves/Viilo Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 +1:56,5
- Daprà/Guglielmetti Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 2:47,8
- Zaldivar/Der Ohannesian Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 +4.22,0
- Mauro/Salvat Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 +12:44,6
- Romagna/Lamonato Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 +19:32,4
- Rath/Maier Ford Fiesta Rally2 +19:47,3
- Granados/Martí Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 +24:06,7
- Trentin/Ometto Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 +26:12,1
