Kajetan Kajetanowicz joins the competitors at the 82nd Rally Poland, the most important and prestigious motorsport event in Poland. For the ORLEN Rally Team driver, who has three victories in this event under his belt, this will be his twelfth appearance in the Polish classic.
The first edition of Rally Poland took place in 1921, making it the second oldest event of this kind in the world, after the famous Rallye Monte-Carlo. This season, the Polish classic opens another chapter of its over 100-year history. After two decades of competition on gravel roads in the Masurian Lake District, the crews move to demanding asphalt stages of the Silesian Voivodeship. The event maintains its international status. The welcoming city of Katowice, the heart of the Upper Silesian-Dąbrowa Basin Metropolis, will host not only crews fighting for the national title, but also those competing in the prestigious FIA ERC European Rally Championship.
Kajetanowicz – the only driver in rally history to win the European Championship title three times in a row (2015-2017) – announcing his plans at the beginning of the season, stressed that the current campaign, although less busy, could provide him with more chances to meet passionate home fans. One of these long-awaited opportunities will come during the 82nd Rally Poland, taking place at the end of July. The 2023 WRC2 Challenger champion will compete alongside Maciej Szczepaniak and the ORLEN Rally Team crew will drive a Toyota GR Yaris Rally2, prepared by the Spanish RaceSeven team.
Kajetanowicz competed in ten editions of Rally Poland, adding also one appearance as a driver of a course car in 2023, checking the safety of fans on the stages. The Ustroń native made his debut in the Polish classic in 2005, driving a cup-spec Peugeot 206 XS. Five years later, together with Jarosław Baran, aboard a Subaru Impreza TMR 10, he celebrated his first victory, at the same time adding a victory in the European Rally Championship round to his tally. He repeated this success next season and completed his hat-trick of victories in 2013, when an all-star lineup arrived in the Masurian Lake District – including Bryan Bouffier, Craig Breen, Jan Kopecký, Robert Kubica and Krzysztof Hołowczyc. In 2016, when Rally Poland was part of the World Rally Championship calendar, Kajto made his debut on the world stage, finishing just off the podium in the WRC2 category. In 2024 he got involved in a fierce fight for victory in this category. The exciting battle, which electrified rally fans, was cut short by unfortunate suspension failure during day three of the competition.
The rally’s move to Silesia also marks a sentimental journey for Kajetanowicz, bringing his memories back to the beginning of his career. The organisers have prepared special stages that partially follow the routes where the four-time Polish champion honed his rally skills and achieved his first successes. In 2003 Kajto, then unknown to wider public, made his debut in the most important rally series in Poland, winning his class in a small Peugeot 106 S16 during the International Silesian Rally.
Announcing my plans for this season, I said there would be more opportunities to meet Polish fans. I am very happy that this will happen in such exceptional circumstances – during Rally Poland, in which we will compete this year. It is the most important motorsport event in our country, with a beautiful, rich history – in which together with my team we have written several modest chapters, including of course those memorable three victories. This is my twelfth appearance here but this time there are plenty of new things. From Mikołajki, we are moving to Katowice, switching the road surface from gravel to asphalt. I am sure that the demanding stages of the Silesian Voivodeship will provide an incredible arena for competition, watched by crowds of fans. It is also a sentimental journey for me; I learned my rally skills on some of these routes and achieved my first successes here. The entire ORLEN Rally Team face an intense period of preparation but I cannot wait to get started. I invite all fans to the 82nd Rally Poland. I am counting on their enthusiastic support and hope to deliver plenty of excitement
– said Kajetan Kajetanowicz, three-time winner of Rally Poland.
The 82nd Rally Poland will take place on 24-26 July. The schedule includes fifteen special stages, totalling almost 190 kilometres. Before Kajetanowicz and Szczepaniak arrive in Katowice, they will have one more opportunity to meet their fans. At the request of the organisers of Rally Małopolska (2-4 July), the ORLEN Rally Team duo will drive the route in a course car, with number 0 on their Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 and inspecting the special stages before the start of the competition.
Starts of Kajetan Kajetanowicz are supported by title partner of the ORLEN Rally Team – ORLEN S.A., as well as by technical partner Delphi and ORLEN OIL.
