- LOTOS Rally Team crew scores top three result on the Qualifying Stage for Rally Estonia for the second time in a row;
- Mixed weather conditions at the start of competition – Rally Estonia welcomed the crews with intermittent showers;
- Today’s
result marks seventh top three finish in a row and 16th overall for
Kajetanowicz and Baran on the FIA ERC Qualifying Stage;
- Reigning
European Rally Champion earned third choice of the starting position
for tomorrow’s stages of round 6 of the 2016 FIA ERC;
- Competition for Rally Estonia victory starts today at 19:00 CET with city stage in Tartu.
Fierce
battle for victory in the fastest round in this year’s FIA European
Rally Championship calendar starts this evening with city stage in
Tartu, but fans and competitors have already tasted emotions and fast
driving on Estonian gravel roads. The 2.97-kms Qualifying Stage was an
appetiser before the real fight in round 6 of the 2016 FIA ERC. Current
European Championship leaders, Kajetan Kajetanowicz and Jarek Baran,
were the first crew to complete this test, which started right after
noon local time. Although the route was identical to last year’s
Qualifying Stage, the conditions were completely different. The surface
was very damp after overnight rain, which made it treacherously slippery
– but it was still very fast and the LOTOS Rally Team crew clocked an
average speed of over 122 kph. Thanks to this excellent pace, reigning
European Rally Champions were classified in third position. This result
marks 7th top three finish in a row and 16th overall for Kajetan and
Jarek on the FIA ERC Qualifying Stage. The first two places were taken
by competitors with excellent knowledge of local gravel roads: last
year’s rally winner Alexey Lukyanuk from Russia (Ford Fiesta R5) and
Ralfs Sirmacis from Latvia (Skoda Fabia R5).
The Qualifying Stage
results are particularly important in rallies run on loose surface.
Positions taken in the qualifying determine the order in which leading
fifteen crews choose their starting positions for the opening leg of the
rally. The Qualifying Stage winner has the first choice, so at the same
time he is privileged and has to take difficult decision of picking the
best starting position. When the surface is dry, good starting position
helps to avoid "cleaning" the road of slippery loose gravel and driving
at the back of the pack, on roads which could be heavily damaged by
preceding cars. On the other hand if the stages are wet, it is better to
run more towards the front of the field. The crews select their
starting positions at 17:00 CET on the main square in Tartu.
The
first of 16 special stages starts today at 19:00 CET: this is the city
test on streets of Tartu, second-largest city in Estonia. Competition on
gravel begins tomorrow at 8:30 CET with 14.53-kms Kengu 1 test.
Saturday’s leg, the longest of the rally, consists of 9 stages with
combined length of 129.14 competitive kilometres.
Kajetan Kajetanowicz: –
We started the rally with the same stage we drove last year but in
completely different conditions. Today it was more wet and there were
more ruts but anyway it was exciting. Lots of crests and flat-out
corners mean that it was fun to drive. I think that many drivers enjoyed
this stage. This is a sort of an appetiser before competition on
Saturday and Sunday. Very nice, challenging stages await us. For sure
this rally will be very demanding. You have to decide whether you should
brake, lift your right foot or not. This is important if you don’t want
to lose speed on corner exit and on long straight. When you are sure
you can make it, you have to push pedal to the metal. That’s the
solution for this rally. However, it is difficult to judge the grip when
you are approaching the corner, doing 170-180 kph on loose surface. You
have to make up your mind and sometimes take a risk, especially when
you are fighting with rivals who are experienced on this kind of surface
and they raise the bar very high. Just like in the Canary Islands, we
feel a bit like at home here, as if it was a Polish championship round,
because many Polish crews compete here. It is great that we can have a
fight here.Jarek Baran: –
The roads of Rally
Estonia are distinctive but a bit homogenous. The landscape and road
characteristics are very similar in every part of every stage. It is
difficult to judge where you are at any given moment. From co-driver’s
point of view new sections of the route do not have significant meaning.
The rhythm of reading the pace notes is always fast and it requires the
highest level of concentration.The results of the Qualifying Stage for Rally Estonia – round 6 of the 2016 FIA ERC: 1. Lukyanuk/Arnautov (Russia, Ford Fiesta R5) 1:25.996
2. Sirmacis/Kulss (Latvia, Skoda Fabia R5) +0.226 s
3. Kajetanowicz/Baran (Poland, Ford Fiesta R5) +0.516 s4. Plangi/Sarapuu (Estonia, Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X) +1.764 s
5. Kaur/Simm (Estonia, Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX) +2.376 s
6. Kołtun/Pleskot (Poland, Ford Fiesta R5) +2.756 s
7. Jeets/Toom (Estonia, Skoda Fabia R5) +3.277 s
8. Arai/Macneal (Japan, Ford Fiesta R5) +3.435 s
9. Katsuta/Barritt (Japan, Ford Fiesta R5) +3.573 s
10. Aus/Koskinen (Estonia, Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX) +3.857
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