Speaking ahead of last week’s ORLEN 79th Rally Poland where he was on duty as the course-opening 0 car driver in his all-new Škoda Fabia RS Rally2, the 44-year-old recalled the moment that mattered most.
Sun 28 May 2023
ERC @ 70: My favourite memory by Kajetan Kajetanowicz
With three FIA European Rally Championship titles and seven event wins on his CV, Kajetan Kajetanowicz enjoyed plenty of highs during his stint in the ERC, which is celebrating its 70th anniversary in 2023.
“One of my favourite memories of the ERC is the 2013 Rally Poland, which I won and claimed my fourth Polish title,” Kajetanowicz said. “That rally is impossible to forget, it rained a lot, and some sections were shortened due to damaged roads. We drove in such mud that in places even off-road cars would have a problem to pass. As if these difficulties were not enough, this was my debut in a R5 class car.”
At the time, Kajetanowicz said: “It’s one of the best days of my life. We have the best team, car and co-driver. The Polish title didn’t really matter this weekend; it was this rally that I wanted to win. I now have a big smile on my face because I am very happy. I just hope we can do some more rallies in this car. I was happy like a child driving this car.”
For Kajetanowicz’s then co-driver Jarosław Baran, the result marked his fourth Rally Poland triumph, which equalled the long-standing record of legendary Polish driver Sobiesław Zasada, a three-time ERC champion.
“It’s an honour and privilege to equal the record of Sobiesław Zasada,” Baran said. “It was him who inspired my father and through him the passion of rallies was passed on to me and my brother Maciek [who was co-driving Robert Kubica]. It’s a shame that Maciek had to retire yesterday because I was really looking for celebrations on the podium with him.
“This year’s rally was the most demanding that I have ever started in and I hope that next year we won’t have same weather problems. Also I’d like to remind everybody about a massive job of the organiser that helped to carry out this rally.”
While the ERC regulars are now preparing for Tet Rally Liepāja from 16 - 18 June, Kajetanowicz is getting ready for his second start of the season in the FIA WRC2 Championship on Rally Italia Sardegna next week (1 - 4 June).
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