Motorsport

WRC2023 ...ready ...set ...GO!

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This season promises to be a thrilling one with thirteen rounds of the World Rally Championship (WRC) taking place. The first five rounds, Monte Carlo, Sweden, México, Croatia and Portugal have already been completed and the rest of the calendar is set to be an exciting journey for all rally fans.

With seven World Rally Championship rounds in his schedule, Kajto will have the opportunity to showcase his skills and compete against some of the best drivers in the world. Kajto has had a remarkable run in the championship over the past four years, with four consecutive top three finishes.

Get to know Kajto’s rallying journey

"My rally dreams are coming true again and I am very happy about it. I can compete against the best drivers in the world. Our small, privateer team challenges the fastest rivals, often with factory support. This is really happening – and it is possible thanks to support of our partners who trusted us once again." - Kajetan Kajetanowicz

WRC Guanajuato Rally México

The Polish crew chose to begin their campaign in Mexico – where they competed three years ago. The Mexican championship encounter took place in Sierra Madre mountains, at high altitude. In some places the competitors climbed to 2700 meters above sea level, tackling the sandy roads in temperatures reaching 30°C. As the cars raced through the thin air, their engines had to work harder in order to maintain power and performance. This made life difficult for both drivers and mechanics alike, as they had to constantly adjust their strategies to make sure their cars were running optimally.

Kajetan Kajetanowicz used his proven Škoda Fabia Rally2 evo in Mexico. After completing 18 special stages (five were cancelled), the ORLEN Rally Team duo claimed fourth position in their category, finishing as the best non-factory crew – winning the WRC2 Challenger category!

"We've started the season with first place in the Challenger classification, among non-factory crews, and with fourth position in the WRC2 standings – although I had hoped for more, for closer fight. Maybe we’ll be able to do it during our next rally. You know me and you know that I will do my best – and I know what we need to improve, I know our limitations. I have to calculate the risk because competing against factory crews is like fight of David against Goliath. The whole ORLEN Rally Team have worked very well and we leave Mexico with smiles on our faces. It is a good beginning of the season." - Kajetan Kajetanowicz

WRC Rally Italia Sardegna

Kajetan Kajetanowicz and Maciej Szczepaniak have enjoyed a great first outing in their new rally car, in Rally Italia Sardegna – round six of the World Rally Championship. The ORLEN Rally Team crew won the WRC2 Challenger classification, scoring third position in the WRC2 standings – finishing behind two factory cars!

Kajetanowicz and Szczepaniak fight for another top three finish in the World Rally Championship this year. This was their second outing in 2023, after Rally México in March – when they also won the WRC2 Challenger category and claimed fourth position in the WRC2 standings. Now the ORLEN Rally Team crew drove a new Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 for the first time, getting to know this car step by step, in difficult and unpredictable conditions. Thanks to fast and consistent pace, they scored another victory in the WRC2 Challenger field and claimed a podium finish in the WRC2 classification!

"We have reached the finish of this difficult rally, in very tough weather conditions. I think that our first event in a new car was very positive. I felt better and better behind the steering wheel, even in those unpredictable conditions. We won the WRC2 Challenger standings, for privateers, and we took third position in the overall WRC2 classification – in one of the strongest fields this season. Another top three finish among around 40 crews – it’s a fantastic result! Many thanks to the whole ORLEN Rally Team, everybody put a lot of effort, so that we could focus and do our job in the best possible way. Nevertheless, there is still plenty of work to do." – Kajetan Kajetanowicz

WRC Safari Rally Kenya

There’s no real opposition for the Polish duo in the toughest rally of the world! Kajetan Kajetanowicz and Maciej Szczepaniak win the WRC2 category in Safari Rally Kenya for the second time in a row. The ORLEN Rally Team crew after excellent performance in the legendary World Rally Championship round defeated the second-placed crew by over 11 minutes and won the Power Stage Hell’s Gate, scoring maximum amount of points!

Kajetanowicz and Szczepaniak claimed their seventh WRC win in their category and podium finish number 18 over six years of competition in the World Rally Championship. Second consecutive victory in Safari Rally, which require not only fast driving but above all experience, wisdom and ability to manage the pace on extremely tough special stages, is for sure one of the most important achievements of the Polish duo.

"This is an amazing feeling, we have won Safari Rally for the second time – the most difficult round of the WRC calendar. I am proud of our team. I think that we deserve this success, after all that hard work. It wasn’t easy although it might have looked like it was. We enjoyed a huge advantage at the finish but we had to play a good mental and tactical game over the course of the rally. Our plan is executed in 100% and I am very happy about it. I am also happy to return home, in the last couple of months I spent only a few days there – so I deserve it as well. Thank you for being with us." - Kajetan Kajetanowicz

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