The competition on today’s
stages of the Circuit of Ireland – round two of the FIA ERC – started at
an incredible pace. The opening loop was characterised by changeable
grip levels and stunning average speeds logged by the top crews on
narrow and treacherous roads north of Belfast. After yesterday’s rain,
the Tarmac road of the Circuit of Ireland were not completely dry and
there were many damp and muddy spots on the stages. Kajetanowicz and
Baran displayed an outstanding performance and in these conditions, on
the roads which were completely new to them, they hold second place in
overall standings, giving way only to Irishman Craig Breen.
The
LOTOS Rally Team crew recorded two top-three times on the opening three
stages. It took them a little over 5.5 minutes to complete the 12-kms
second test (Knockboy), which means the average speed of 127 kph on the
road only a bit wider than a rally car. On the final stage of the loop,
The Glens (31.2 kms), Kajetanowicz maintained his focus and quick pace,
grabbing second spot in the overall standings after erstwhile leader,
Welshman Elfyn Evans, did not reach the finish line of this stage.
Kajetan Kajetanowicz: –
It was a crazy, mad loop, especially the last stage – The Glens. It was
the most difficult Tarmac stage I have ever driven in my career. I
cannot even tell how many crests we tackled on those 31 kilometres.
There are so many things happening on this stage that it is not possible
to include everything in your pace notes. The pace is so fast that even
if we had described every single crest and detail, the co-driver would
not have enough time to call every note in the car. If any competitor
had been sleepy this morning, the opening three stages must have woken
him up! The heart rate and emotions run extremely high when you drive at
maximum speed on a road with three metres of space between walls on
both sides. In order to drive this way, you need to combine the
precision of neurosurgeon with excellent reaction time.
Starts
of Kajetan Kajetanowicz and Jarek Baran are supported by strategic
partner of LOTOS Rally Team – LOTOS Group – as well as CUBE.ITG and
Driving Experience. More info about Kajetan Kajetanowicz and the team
available at: www.lotosrallyteam.pl, www.kajto.pl,
www.facebook.com/EmocjeDoPelna, www.facebook.com/KajetanKajetanowicz and
www.twitter.com/Kajto_pl.