Kajetan Kajetanowicz ended his remarkable six year spell as the official Polish Lotos rally team rally driver with a win on the promotional Rajd Barborka held in Warsaw, an event he has won five times in that period.
He was three times national Polish champion and twice European rally champion. He drove his usual Ford Fiesta 5 (pictured right) which had been modified for the event up to R5+ specification, handsomely beating Wojciech Chuchula’s Subaru Impreza STI.
About his post-Lotos future, Kajetanowicz said: ”We do not know yet what we will do next year. We would like to know ... We will strive to ensure that we work even harder to be motivated, have a goal”
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Peugeot 208 T16 driver Kris Princen is expected to drive a Skoda Fabia R5 in next year’s Belgian Championship.
Fellow Peugeot R5 driver Paolo Andreucci drove a Citroen DS3 WRC at last weekend’s Memorial Bettega, finishing third, but is expected to return to a Peugeot for the 2017 Italian series.
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2016 national Argentine champion, Chevrolet Agile MR driver Marcos Ligato, won the final round of the series, the Rally Uniendo Valles de Córdoba - GP Alcides Raies, based a Villa Carlos Paz.
His championship rival, Federico Villagra, went off the road in his Fiesta MR on the opening stage.
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Stay close to the internet tomorrow, Tuesday, the day that Toyota have the official launch of their WRC programme.
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The inaugural single venue Rallycircuit Cote d’Azur held at Le Castellet was won by Sebastien Loeb, co-driven by his wife Severine, followed by fellow Ciitroen DS3 WRC drivers Yvan Muller and Thibault Durbec.
Fourth was the best R5 driver, Quentin Giordano in a Peugeot 208 T16.
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Dayinsure Wales Rally GB has announced its ‘Achievement of Excellence’ under the FIA Institute’s sustainability programme, after demonstrating positive actions towards the environment at the penultimate round of the 2016 FIA World Rally Championship.
Instrumental in this initiative is Garry Connelly, FIA Institute Deputy President and Environmental Ambassador, founder in the late ’80s of the WRC Rally Australia project.
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Elfyn Evans (pictured right) won the Memorial Bettega stadium race in Bologna, beating Kalle Kovanpera by three races to one in the knock-out final.
This was 16th year old Rovanpera’s first competition in a World Rally Car.
Thierry Neuville rolled his Hyundai WRC in the semi-final shoot-outs when racing against Rovanpera.
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PreAlpi Masters Show Rally was won by Mauro Trentin (Focus WRC) ahead of Simone Tempestini (Citroen DS3 R5). Jari-Matti Latvala gave demonstration runs sround the 10km course in his Audi Quattro.
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Job Quantock was the top driver in a 180 driver shoot-out and has won the national Hyundai New Zealand Young Driver Scholarship, winning two drives in next year's NZ national championship.
The scholarship – which involves as much theoretical work in the classroom as it does in the driver's seat – was developed by WRC driver Hayden Paddon.
The two events will see Job at the wheel of Paddon’s special AP4 i20 rally car.
- Martin Holmes