Masterclass pace of Kajetanowicz in Turkey 15.09.2018: Rally Turkey 2018 (SS8-10): masterclass pace of Kajetanowicz, winner of all three stages of the first Saturday loop! Kajetan Kajetanowicz and Maciej Szczepaniak started Saturday’s leg of Rally Turkey in great style. The LOTOS Rally Team crew

Rally Turkey 2018 (SS8-10): masterclass pace of Kajetanowicz, winner of all three stages of the first Saturday loop!       


 
Kajetan Kajetanowicz and Maciej Szczepaniak started Saturday’s leg of Rally Turkey in great style. The LOTOS Rally Team crew won all three stages of the first loop, closing the gap to top three in the WRC-2 standings.




 Excellent pace of the Polish duo means that they trail the final top three position by just four seconds!



After getting to grips with car problems, Kajetanowicz was able to focus on driving and fighting for the best result possible. The Polish driver started with setting the fastest time on 36-kms Yeşilbelde test, beating the rally leader Kopecký by 0.1 seconds. Other crews lost over 10 seconds.



On the following stage the LOTOS Rally Team driver set a time faster by 8 seconds than Tempestini, who remains in top three of the WRC-2 standings, but quickly loses ground to Kajetanowicz. The Polish driver finished the loop with yet another fastest time on 20-kms test, leaving all his rivals more than 25 seconds behind.



– It was a very good loop, we won all the stages. I am very happy, it could not have been better. I am very tired and my hands hurt a lot after yesterday’s problems and driving without power steering, but I gather every last ounce of strength to push. I admit that we had nothing to lose.



 We were in points-paying position but as long as the car is working and I have good feeling, I want to capitalise on this. I think that many people just cannot believe in our pace today. It is also a bit surprising for us, but we enjoy it a lot.




 However, I have to remember that virtually every special stage is like a new rally. Everything can still change. I want to continue like this, but the next loop will be a real survival. Keep your fingers crossed – commented Kajetan Kajetanowicz, the European Rally Champion.



The second loop on Saturday consists of another running of three stages: Yeşilbelde (36.00 kms; at 12:25 CET), Datça (10.70 kms; at 14:08 CET) and İçmeler (20.40 kms; at 15:11 CET). There are more than 67 competitive kilometres to go.



Starts of Kajetan Kajetanowicz are supported by strategic partner of LOTOS Rally Team – LOTOS Group – as well as Delphi Technologies and Driving Experience.




Rally Turkey 2018, unofficial WRC-2 standings after SS10:

1. Ingram / Whittock (Skoda Fabia R5) 2:57:29.7
2. Kopecký / Dresler (Skoda Fabia R5) +1:10.8 s
3. Tempestini / Itu (Citroen C3 R5) +1:45.2 s
4. Kajetanowicz / Szczepaniak (Ford Fiesta R5) +1:49.4 s
5. Heller / Olmos (Ford Fiesta R5) +5:46.1 s
6. Cukurova / Bostanci (Skoda Fabia R5) +8:41.6 s
7. Salvi / Magalhães (Skoda Fabia R5) +20:26.1 s
8. Manyera / Çerkez (Ford Fiesta R5) +23:27.3 s
9. Güral / Koçoğlu (Skoda Fabia R5) +24:43.0 s
10. Greensmith / Gelsomino (Ford Fiesta R5) +39:03.7 s
          
  
  
 
Gabriel Borowy- photos Kajto