Sunday 11 October is a great day for Kajetan Kajetanowicz and Jarek Baran – and a historical, triumphant date for the Polish sport. After 6587 days – that is over 18 years – Poland celebrates another European Rally Championship success: Kajetanowicz and Baran are the third Polish crew which won the European Championship title. The greatest achievement in the career of the LOTOS Rally Team crew comes after three titles claimed by Sobieslaw Zasada in the 60s and 70s and the title of Krzysztof Holowczyc won in 1997. Another drivers who enjoyed success in the oldest rally series of the world were Marian Bublewicz, Janusz Kulig and Michal Solowow – runners-up in the European Rally Championship. On top of the individual success, the Polish crew scored one more title: in the FIA ERC Teams classification, for LOTOS Rally Team.

Kajetan Kajetanowicz and Jarek Baran sealed their FIA European Rally Championship title in excellent style, winning an extremely difficult edition of the legendary Acropolis Rally which at some points resembled an off-road rally. On very wet, full of mud and unbelievably slippery stages of the round 9 of the FIA ERC, Kajetanowicz and Baran showed not only fast but also consistent pace. It was the key to victory in the rally which used to be one of the most difficult rounds of the World Rally Championship and formed a part of the WRC calendar 38 times. The Polish crew not only avoided mistakes in Greece but also finished 5 out of 6 special stages in top three, winning three of them. Kajto and Jarek scored 38 out of possible 39 points on punishing Greek roads. It means that the advantage of the LOTOS Rally Team crew in the FIA ERC standings is now safe and they cannot be caught by any rival in the race for European Championship title.

Undisputed victory in the Jännerrallye, good pace and precious points in Latvia, finish right on the tail of the winners in Ireland, effective fight for podium on beautiful Açores, impressive first outing on extremely fast gravel roads in Estonia, important third place in the Barum Rally – among the strongest field this year – comfortable knock-out on twisty stages in Cyprus and finally an exceptional performance in the epic Acropolis Rally: this, in brief, is the phenomenal quest of Kajetan and Jarek for the European Rally Championship title. The LOTOS Rally Team crew achieved the greatest success in their career with style and pace which throughout the season excited the fans and observers from all over the world. Kajetanowicz and Baran, driving a Ford Fiesta R5 prepared by the Polish division of M-Sport, impressed mostly with their efficiency: the Poles scored valuable points in every rally they contested. They scored seven podium places in eight rounds of the championship, including three wins: the Jännerrallye, the Cyprus Rally and the Acropolis Rally.

This unbelievable consistency was paired with impressive pace on the special stages. Freshly crowned European Rally Champions finished 104 out of 117 tests in top three, including 45 stage wins this season. To put it into context, last season the European Rally Champions – Esapekka Lappi and Janne Ferm, Skoda factory team crew – won 25 out of 102 special stages contested by them on the way to the title.

The FIA European Rally Championship title is not the only award won by the LOTOS Rally Team driver this season. Thanks to fantastic results on special stages, Kajetanowicz was rapidly scoring points in additional championship classifications: the FIA ERC Ice Masters and FIA ERC Gravel Masters. Kajto sealed his victory in the winter championship in February’s Liepāja Rally in Latvia. On top of that he successfully defended last year’s FIA Gravel Master title, winning in impressive style the Cyprus Rally, the previous round of the championship.

Kajetan Kajetanowicz: – The tears of joy in the eyes of our team members made me realise that it is worth to live and work hard for the moments like these. This day is fantastic, one of the most difficult ones in my life but at the same time I am sure that it is one of the most beautiful days. Probably several long days have to pass until I fully understand what we have achieved together with the whole LOTOS Rally Team. As you might imagine, winning the European Rally Championship after victory in the Acropolis Rally is absolutely terrific. My voice cracks because right now I am thinking about my parents who have always believed in me, they were and they are with me. You need great dedication and hectolitres of sweat and tears in order to fulfil such a big dream, but it is also important to have a bunch of good-hearted and committed people around. This is why today, celebrating this success, I want to say "thank you" to every person who has not doubted that we could achieve this and supported us on so many – also those very difficult – stages of our road to the European Rally Championship title.

Jarek Baran: – I don’t know if I am already aware of what we have achieved. There is the biggest, irreplaceable factor in it: Kajetan. He is one of the most talented drivers I have ever met. Rallying is a difficult and risky sport, you have to take rapid and spot-on decisions. Six years spent together in rally cars, 60 starts, hundreds of stage victories – all this experience helped us a lot today. You also have to add the team of brilliant people and support of Grupa LOTOS and all the other partners who have believed in Kajetan’s talent for many years. From the sporting point of view I am also happy that today the crew Kajetanowicz/Baran appeared on the list of the Acropolis Rally winners. Almost 30 years in the co-driver’s seat could not be the best example for the young competitors because it means that sometimes it is essential to devote yourself to something for a long time in order to achieve success. I dedicate my success to all people I have worked with over all those years, to the fans who supported us faithfully and above all to Marta, my family and friends – because they were always with me.

230 points scored;

104 out of 117 (88%) special stages finished in top three;

3 victories;

45 out of 117 (38,5%) special stages won;

7 out of 8 FIA ERC rounds finished on the podium;

1651,01 kms of fierce fight for points on special stages;

Second in a row FIA ERC Gravel Master title for Kajetanowicz;

68 points advantage after the Acropolis Rally;

6587 days have passed since the last Polish title in European Rally Championship: the oldest rally series in the world.

2. Craig Breen (Ireland) +10.0 s

3. Lambros Athanassoulas (Greece) +15.3 s

4. Jaromir Tarabus (Czech Republic) +3:12.5 s

5. David Botka (Hungary) +3:54.5 s

6. Raul Jeets (Estonia) +4:30.9 s

7. Dominik Butvilas (Lithuania) +4:40.6 s

8. Antonin Tlustak (Czech Republic) +8:48.2 s

9. Petros Pantelli (Cyprus) +11:44.0 s

10. Jourdan Serderidis (Greece) +11:45.8 s

2. Craig Breen 162 points

3. Alexey Lukyanuk 124 points

4. Robert Consani 79 points

5. Jaromir Tarabus 75 points

6. Bruno Magalhães 68 points

Seven best scores of the season count towards the final classification of the FIA ERC

2. Peugeot Rally Academy 117 points

3. Tlustak Racing 75 points

4. MM Motorsport 67 points

5. Chervonenko Racing 60 points

Seven best scores of the season count towards the final classification of the FIA ERC

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.