Rally Silesia, or Rajd Śląska as it’s known in Polish, holds a special place in your heart. Why?
“I did this rally 21 years ago, my debut in the Polish championship. It was Rajd Śląski then, now it’s Rajd Śląska, a small difference. I drive a Peugeot 106 and we won our class, N2, it was an amazing time. That was a surprise, not only for us. For this rally we rent this car for 1000 euros, that was a lot of money for me.”
Fri 27 Sep 2024
ERC Take Five with Kajetan Kajetanowicz
Kajetan Kajetanowicz, the only driver in history to win the FIA European Rally Championship three years running, will be going back in time when Rally Silesia hosts the ERC season finale from 11 - 13 October. In this week’s ERC Take Five he explains why.
How important was that result for your career?
“Of course it was important but it was only one step in my career. It was a gate [opening] to a new season because it was rally by rally then, a difficult time.”
You’re taking a break from your WRC2 programme to return to Rally Silesia 21 years later as a course car driver. Would you not prefer to compete for real?
“I will go with the zero car, same job we did last year on Rally Poland. I will go with a safe mode but of course I will try to find a compromise with my driving. Yes [I would prefer to compete for real] but it’s important to be there because some stages are 10 or 15 kilometres from my home, so it’s my home rally.”
What will the ERC regulars experience on this rally?
“It is a hard rally, one stage was the first stage in my career when I drove a Fiat 126 and I crash on this stage, I rolled four times, it was a disaster. It’s very difficult but as I know there are many cones in the cuts so I expect not too much mud on the road. The grip is changing, it’s bumpy, narrow but we have also wide parts, it’s typical for this region. It’s not flat, in some parts it’s similar like Ypres Rally but only in some points but it's more difficult because we have a lot of crests and many junctions also.”
You are the only driver in ERC history to win the title three years running. How good was the ERC for you?
“That was a great time, to be honest I miss it sometimes. I think positive about these times but now we have new challenges. The competition is absolutely strong in ERC and still it’s nice to be there, even in a different role.”
Japan
Poland
Turkey