After four days of fast, consistent and error-free driving, Kajetan Kajetanowicz and Maciej Szczepaniak claimed a podium finish in Rally Italia Sardegna. The ORLEN Rally Team crew finished third in the WRC2 Challenger category during the 2026 World Rally Championship finale.
Rally Italia Sardegna brought this year’s World Rally Championship competition to an end. Due to the political situation in the Middle East, the WRC circus will not travel to Saudi Arabia this year, so the final championship outcomes were decided during the Italian event. Over four days of competition on seventeen very demanding special stages, on increasingly rough roads, saw plenty of fierce battles and dramatic twists.
It was the second World Rally Championship outing for Kajetanowicz and Szczepaniak this year, marking their return to driving on gravel after an eleven-month break. The ORLEN Rally Team crew once again proved their abilities in tough, sometimes even extreme conditions. The Polish duo started with winning the opening superspecial stage in the WRC2 Challenger category and afterwards they hold second position for a long time. At the same time they steadily improved the set-up of their Toyota, adapting it to both their better feeling of the car and deteriorating road conditions.
Kajto and Maciek entered the final day of the rally still in a podium position. Although the route was definitely not the longest, the condition of special stages – closer to a cross-country competition – brought plenty of excitement in both overall standings and in different categories. Ultimately, the ORLEN Rally Team crew secured third position in the WRC2 Challenger standings, behind two top crews in this year’s championship: Roope Korhonen and Anssi Viinikka as well as the world champions Robert Virves and Jakko Viilo. Moreover, Kajetanowicz and Szczepaniak claimed fourth place in the WRC2 classification.
We have completed very difficult and demanding Rally Italia Sardegna in a fantastic atmosphere. It feels as if we were in Poland, although the weather is a bit different – it’s much warmer here. It was really hot inside the car and there was a lot of dust around. I hope it looked spectacular. We finished third in the WRC2 Challenger category. I think that after a nearly year-long break from driving on gravel, we have nothing to be ashamed of. Of course we always want a bit more because – as in every rally – there were things that could have been done better. We’ll keep trying. For sure it’s still a solid result in this short campaign. Thanks to all the sponsors and, of course, to the fans – you created a fantastic atmosphere. Thanks to my family, to Maciek, and to the entire ORLEN Rally Team. They support me and we go through all these difficult yet special moments together, so we can say that we are one big family. Thank you, it was an amazing experience
– summed up Kajetan Kajetanowicz, the 2023 WRC2 Challenger champion.
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 results:
- Korhonen/Viinikka Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 3:37:07,4
- Virves/Viilo Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 +0,7 s
- Kajetanowicz/Szczepaniak Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 +1:23,5
- Daprà/Guglielmetti Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 2:13,0
- Mauro/Salvat Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 +13:43,7
- Rath/Maier Ford Fiesta Rally2 +23:43,0
- Romagna/Lamonato Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 +23:45,1
- Trentin/Ometto Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 +25:45,1
- Granados/Martí Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 +28:44,1
- Frisiero/Fappani Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 +37:24,1
