The Polish driver has taken a unique to approach to his 2022 campaign. Instead of contesting more familiar rounds in Europe, several of Kajetanowicz’s outings have been at long haul events further afield.
That strategy has so far paid off for the Škoda Fabia Rally2 driver, with victory at Safari Rally Kenya and second at Repco Rally New Zealand earlier this month netting more valuable points.
Kajetanowicz currently trails Andreas Mikkelsen – who has already started the maximum seven rallies – by 13 points, although he does still have two scoring rounds in hand. Fellow Fabia driver Emil Lindholm is 10 points further back and is also locked into the title scrap.
Speaking following his Kiwi podium, Kajetanowicz hinted that the result of next week’s Spanish fixture could be the deciding factor in whether he makes the trip to Japan in November.
“It’s the same story as before,” he told WRC.com. “We are in the fight, but we need to keep to our plan, keep pushing and not make any mistakes.
“We will see [about Japan] after what happens in Spain. We are working on this, but New Zealand was already very expensive for us and Japan is not for sure just yet.”
WRC2 – Repco Rally New Zealand highlights
That being said, Kajetanowicz was pleased his ORLEN-backed squad completed the long journey to New Zealand. He was only beaten by former top-flight driver Hayden Paddon, who was comfortably at home on his local roads.
“New Zealand is an amazing place with amazing stages,” he smiled. “We knew this before, but now I am sure it’s a fantastic rally.
“The place and the atmosphere is so unique. Of course, it’s difficult in terms of logistics, but this is the World Rally Championship and that’s how it is. I really enjoyed the weekend and I hope I can come back here in the future.”
