LOTOS Rally Team crew – fighting for top three finish in the final FIA ERC standings – set fastest time on the Qualifying Stage for 57th Tour de Corse. In qualifying before their first outing in this rally Kajetanowicz and Baran went quicker by 0.7 second than runner-up Stephane Sarrazin, former French rally champion. Final round of FIA European Rally Championship begins with ceremonial start today at 8:00 PM. The first special stage (of eleven) gets underway tomorrow morning at 8:31.

On 2.64-kilometre test located to the south of Porto-Vecchio – Corsican third largest city – Kajetanowicz and Baran defeated not only their rivals in fight for podium in overall FIA ERC standings, but also a lot of very quick and experienced French drivers, including last year’s winner Bryan Bouffier. Victory in qualifying gave them priority in selection of starting positions for the first leg of the rally. Kajetan and Jarek chose fifth road position for tomorrow.

Kajetan Kajetanowicz: It feels great to win the Qualifying Stage for Tour de Corse, but on the special stages experience will be crucial because many corners seemingly look the same and in reality each of them is different and complicated. I have never had a chance to compete on such roads. Level of difficulty is best shown by number of corners in one of the stages: together with Jarek we counted over 300 of them. There are also many fast sections in which we will reach over 160 kph. The challenge gets even bigger when you consider tyre and set-up choice for this specific, variable tarmac. Today it is wet but tomorrow a lot can change. I suppose that the stages will not be completely dry and the road surface here is changeable. Dry tarmac often gives enormous grip, while wet could be tricky and slippery – difference is really huge. I know that this rally will be a tough lesson for me but we will do everything to perform as well as possible and to deserve the best possible final mark :-)

Jarek Baran: Tour de Corse is one of rally dreams for every competitor, so it is incredible feeling to take part in this event – even for someone who is as experienced as I am. In every big rally there are some extremely challenging stages, but in Corsica every single stage is a huge challenge. Here we have full set of the most demanding tests you can imagine. A lot is happening on these twisty roads so it will be crucial to pass the information to the driver as quickly as possible. This is not an easy task. On over 25-kilometre stages we have 30% more information in our pace notes than on other stages of similar length so over next few days I will have a lot to say in our rally car.