Rally Poland was my third WRC event on the trot was my fifth rally in 53 days. I now have 3 weeks of traveling through Poland and the Czech Republic, catching up on working and visiting some cool places.
So Rally Poland, your pre-conceived ideas of a country couldn’t be further from reality, for I still had visions of eastern block Europe, not New Zealand-like scenery. So far Poland has been a real surprise packet, the people, the scenery and overall, very special.
Rally Poland made its debut in the WRC a number of years ago and it’s known for its fast, flowing Finland-esque roads. To use the word fast is an understatement, drivers will reach speeds of close to 180km/h and average 135+. Driving those speeds on tarmac is scary, let alone on gravel for a period of up to 20 minutes.
The rally was held in Mikolajki, a lakeside town 300km north of Warsaw, on the eastern side of Poland close to the Lithuanian and Belorussian borders. The entire area is magical, and there are over 2000 lakes in this area alone, so you can’t go too far without a picturesque landscape.
I was really looking forward to recce - fast flowing non-bumpy roads, but what I didn’t expect was for us to get stuck.
When on recce, one of the important aspects is to try and find access roads as close as possible to spots that we pick. We found a road, but unfortunately it led nowhere. Whilst trying to reverse and turn around we didn’t notice the ditch that was covered in thick grass, and the result was we were stuck. The front wheels just wouldn’t grip, and we walked 3km to the nearest house and managed to find a farmer with a tractor who came to the rescue. Two hours later we were back on the road.
To the rally itself, and at the end of each day teams compete in a Super Special Stage right in town. It really brings the town to life, there are so many people, no matter where you drive for 100km in any direction you will find rally related fans. Even as I sit here in my apartment 800km south in Krakow, people know about Rally Poland.
Tthe rally itself was intense, fast and very close. After three full days only 30 seconds separated the top three drivers. Ogier took yet another victory with Mikkelsen in second and Ott Tanak took his maiden podium in third. The story of the previous round and Hayden Paddon’s success continued, as the Kiwi put in an amazingly consistent drive, finishing in 4th.
My next rally is Finland in a few weeks. I cannot wait for the fast flowing stages, in particular the famous Ouninpohia stage, which I will do an exclusive look at.
- Michael Vettas
CLICK HERE to view Michael’s photos from WRC Rally Poland
* You can watch Hayden Paddon and all the WRC stars at Coates Hire Rally Australia by joining RallySport Magazine's exclusive spectator tour. Visit exclusive viewing locations and see the action up close. CLICK HERE for more details.
SUBSCRIBE BELOW TO READ THE FULL STORY
