LOTOS Rally Team crew topped the Qualifying Stage for Jännerrallye, opening round of FIA European Rally Championship 2015. Multiple Polish champions Kajetan Kajetanowicz and Jarek Baran recorded fastest time on this year’s first competitive test, run in Freistadt area. This victory means that they are the first crew to select their running position for Monday’s stages.

Overnight snowfall brought significant changes to road conditions in Austrian Mühlviertel region and forced the competitors to use narrow winter tyres with studs. In these extremely difficult conditions LOTOS Rally Team crew showed that they can drive fast not only on tarmac and gravel but also on snow and ice.

The crews now face two days of rivalry on 18 special stages with total length of 240 kilometres. Opening test starts tomorrow (Monday, 5th of January) at 7:56 CET.

Kajetan Kajetanowicz: – I am very pleased that we did not forget how to drive on snow. You have to be happy after winning the stage with changeable grip, like this one. We proved that we have good feeling on this type of surface. In such conditions you have to drive very smoothly because the traction changes with every corner. It will be extremely important not only to choose right tyres and keep the best line but also to read the road and find the grip. Our task is not easy and the difficulty level of this rally is further raised by the fact that we made the pace notes in different conditions. The first loop of the rally will be crucial. We are ready for this challenge and at the same time we do not underestimate many quick and experienced competitors in this rally, who can drive fast on snow. We will try to find the best compromise between clever driving and maximum pace.

Jarek Baran: – The special stages and the route are almost the same as last year. This is a winter rally, so the conditions are different every year and on top of that they change constantly during the event. A lot of wet snow fell overnight and today the roads look completely different from what we saw during recce. In these conditions you have to be aware of the fact that not all our information will be accurate. Apart from tyre choice, this can be the biggest challenge of the rally.