The competition on gravel roads of the biggest island of the archipelago of the Azores not only raises the heartbeat of Kajetanowicz and Baran – the main protagonists of this thrilling show – but also of the fans from all over the world who hold their breath, watching the ferocious fight between the Polish duo and Irish/British crew Breen/Martin.

On the first loop of Friday stages LOTOS Rally Team crew stormed into the lead of Rallye Açores. Kajetanowicz and Baran exerted big pressure on Breen and Martin, driving a Peugeot 208 R5. In their first competitive outing on Sete Cidades stage – 29-kms marathon test around the volcano – Kajetanowicz defeated Craig Breen, who drove this amazing stage for the fifth time, by 9.1 seconds. Thanks to this performance the name of four-time Polish rally champion appeared on the top of the overall standings in round 4 of FIA European Rally Championship.

After the service break, in the afternoon the crews began the second loop, facing the same four stages. LOTOS Rally Team crew fought hard over 50 kilometres of competitive distance, trying to defend their lead in the rally. On demanding gravel stages of São Miguel Island Kajetanowicz and Baran lost out only to Breen, comfortably outpacing Portuguese drivers – including seven-time Azorean rally champion Ricardo Moura.

At the end of the day, after covering 125 competitive kilometres, Kajetanowicz and Baran trail their closest rivals by just 2.3 seconds. This means that the outcome of round 4 of FIA European Rally Championship is wide open. Six special stages run on Saturday will determine who will leave the Portuguese island as the leader of the championship. The organisers have scheduled the tests with total length of 101.4 kms. First one – 20.9-kms Graminhais stage will start at 12:08 CET. Rally battle of Azores will conclude with Tronqueira test: 21-kms fight on the northern coast of São Miguel Island (starting time: 18:52 CET).

Kajetan Kajetanowicz: – The incredible battle that we fought today with Craig and many other competitors brought us a lot of joy, especially during two runs of terrific Sete Cidades stage. This test is an essence of rallying for me. It felt like a win just to finish such a long and demanding test. I am happy that we are winning with Ricardo Moura who competes in this rally for 15th time and drives the same car like us. Taking part in this rally is like an incredible prize for the whole LOTOS Rally Team. We feel adrenaline pumping in our veins and it helps us to manage the strain of fighting on one of the most difficult gravel stages in the world, almost 4.000 kilometres from Poland. Tomorrow we will do our best to catch Craig, although it will not be easy – also because there are a lot of excellent, fast drivers who are battling behind us. At the finish of this very tough and exhausting day fatigue is mixed with great satisfaction. I wish we could feel the same tomorrow because if we finish the stages with joy and smiles on our faces, it means that we had a good feeling that often brings good results and competitive stage times.

1. Craig Breen (Ireland, Peugeot 208 R5) 1:26:44.7

3. Ricardo Moura (Portugal, Ford Fiesta R5) + 1:20.9s

4. Bruno Magalhães (Portugal, Peugeot 208 R5) + 2:09.1s

5. José Pedro Fontes (Portugal, Citroen DS3 R5) + 3:30.2s

6. Robert Consani (France, Citroen DS3 R5) + 3:39.8s

7. Sam Moffett (Ireland, Ford Fiesta RRC) + 4:34.7s

8. Dominykas Butvilas (Lithuania, Subaru Impreza STi) + 4:49.6s

9. Luis Miguel Rego (Portugal, Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX) + 5:29.1s

10. Jaroslav Orsák (Czech Republic, Skoda Fabia S2000) + 6:07.2s

 

1. Craig Breen 85 points

3. Alexey Lukyanuk 43 points

4. Robert Consani 42 points

 

1. Craig Breen 96 points

2. Kajetan Kajetanowicz 76 points

3. Ricardo Moura 45 points