Rally Monza – the final round of the 2020 World Rally Championship – got underway. On the opening stage Kajetan Kajetanowicz and Maciej Szczepaniak trailed the winners by just three seconds. The LOTOS Rally Team crew fight for another podium position in the championship.
The Italian WRC counter started with a 4.3-kms Sottozero Monza Legacy test. It was the shortest stage of the whole rally – a proper warm-up ahead of almost 70 competitive kilometres on Friday. Kajetanowicz and Szczepaniak set sixth-fastest time in the WRC-3 category, with narrow gaps between top crews. This is a good position for the Polish duo to attack tomorrow.
– We have completed the first special stage of Rally Monza. It was a short test but on these stages you can always lose a lot of time in one corner. We did a good job, although it was our first tarmac stage in this car. It is a very challenging event: not only with asphalt but also with plenty of gravel and mud – very unusual conditions on a racing track. On Saturday we move to stages in the Alps, climbing to over 1300 metres above sea level. We can expect a lot of snow up there – all conditions possible! The competition promises to be really exciting and this is why I am looking forward to it!
– said Kajetan Kajetanowicz after the first special stage.
On Friday the drivers will face more stages on the Formula One circuit: SS2/3 Scorpion (13.43 kms, at 7:58 and 10:08) and SS4/5 Cinturato (16.22 kms, at 12:38 and 15:08). The day ends with night test SS6 P Zero Grand Prix (10.31 kms, at 17:38). Another two legs are scheduled for Saturday and Sunday.
Starts of Kajetan Kajetanowicz are supported by strategic partner of the LOTOS Rally Team – Grupa LOTOS – as well as Delphi Technologies, Driving Experience and Pirelli.
ACI Rally Monza 2020 – unofficial WRC-3 results after SS1:
- Huttunen / Lukka (Finland, Hyundai i20 R5) 3:37.3 s
- Mikkelsen / Jæger (Norway, Škoda Fabia Rally2 evo) +0.7 s
- Solberg / Johnston (Sweden/Ireland, Škoda Fabia Rally2 evo) +1.6 s
- Rossel / Fulcrand (France, Citroën C3 R5) +2.4 s
- Scandola / D’Amore (Italy, Hyundai i20 R5) +2.8 s
- Kajetanowicz / Szczepaniak (Poland, Škoda Fabia Rally2 evo) +3.0 s
- Lindholm / Korhonen (Findland, Škoda Fabia Rally2 evo) +3.4 s
- Bulacia Wilkinson / Der Ohannesian (Bolivia/Argentina, Citroën C3 R5) +6.4 s
- Munster / Louka (Luxemburg/Belgium, Hyundai i20 R5) +6.4 s
- McErlean / Williams (Ireland/UK, Hyundai i20 R5) +10.1 s
