At the beginning of June the best European rally crews will compete in the most exotic round of the FIA European Rally Championship. The engine noise of rally cars will blare out almost 1500 kilometres west of Europe – on São Miguel Island, during the Azores Rally (2-4 June). Among the cars which will tackle the spectacular roads of this volcano island there is a Ford Fiesta R5 in LOTOS Rally Team livery – driven by Kajetan Kajetanowicz and Jarek Baran. The reigning FIA ERC champions enter this event for the third time. Last year they were runners-up in the Azores and Kajetan started his successful bid for the FIA ERC Gravel Master title there.

The fight for victory in round four of the 2016 FIA European Rally Championship takes place on 16 special stages and 215.5 competitive kilometres. The majority of the route – 89% of the stages – is run on twisty and narrow roads covered with rough, volcanic gravel, with different grip levels. The remaining 11% of the route consists of Tarmac sections. The organisers have prepared 16 stages including those won last year by Kajetanowicz and Baran: Feteiras, characterised by changeable rhythm, and Sete Cidades – around the rim of a dormant volcano. There is also a stage on which Kajetanowicz truly shines: spectacular superspecial stage Grupo Marques in a quarry, where the fans can watch fantastic head-to-head battles of two cars at the same time. The Polish driver is undefeated on this stage since his debut in the Azores in 2014.

The archipelago of the Azores, situated almost 1500 kilometres west of continental Europe, is famous for capricious, unpredictable weather. The residents of these Portuguese islands often joke that the weather forecast for the next day will eventually turn out to be correct in one week’s time. Fog often appears high in the mountains of São Miguel Island and together with very humid air it causes rapid changes of grip levels on gravel, compared to sections at lower altitude, exposed to sunlight. In these treacherous and changeable conditions, in breathtaking scenery full of lush vegetation, Kajto and Jarek will fend off all FIA ERC frontrunners and a host of seasoned Portuguese competitors, with vast experience on these roads. After three opening round of the 2016 FIA ERC season the Polish duo enjoy the lead of 25 points over second-placed Alexey Lukyanuk. The LOTOS Rally Team crew are in a position to increase their advantage in the standings and consolidate the lead in the FIA ERC.

Kajetan Kajetanowicz: – I have an affection for many rallies, I like a lot of rallies very much, but I miss driving in the Azores not just after coming back to Poland, but already when we cross the ceremonial finish ramp at the end of this event. If you want to see this sport in a nutshell and learn as much as possible during a single rally, you should visit or compete in the Azores. On this small but picturesque island of São Miguel we face changeable grip levels on volcanic gravel, we check the precision of driving on narrow roads, we experience the capricious weather and test the accuracy of our pace notes, required when we drive at high speed into thick fog. This is when long hours of training and litres of sweat in the gym pay off – I need such preparation, so that my body could work fast and hard, and my brain could maintain focus on the highest revs. Fierce competition in these conditions is a very tasty feast for the fans. It is great that thanks to the efforts of partners and members of the LOTOS Rally Team I can fight for victory in the amazing scenery of the Azores. Together with other competitors we create a spectacular advertisement of the sport which I love so much.