Grupa LOTOS is to become an official partner of Robert Kubica and his co-driver Maciej Baran in the WRC-2 category of the World Rally Championship and in the European Rally Championship. In the 2013 season, one of the most famous Polish drivers will get behind the wheel of a Citroen DS3 RRC.

Robert Kubica and his co-driverMaciej Baran will take part in selected rounds of the European Rally Championship. Their first round, being also the third one in this year’s ERC schedule, will be the Canary Islands Rally (run between March 21st and March 23rd 2013).

In addition, the Polish driver is planning to attend seven out of the thirteen rounds of the World Rally Championship 2013. He will kick off the season on April 11th, in the four-day long Rally Portugal.

In the WRC-2 category, Robert Kubica will compete in a Citroen DS3 RRC (Regional Rally Car). Cars of this class have the same engine units as their WRC counterparts (1.6 litres with turbochargers), but their horsepower is lower by several dozen units. WRC-2 vehicles feature a more limited aerodynamic package, which negatively affects their traction properties. The model used by Kubica will be additionally fitted with gear-shift paddles, placed on the left side of the wheel. The FIA (Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile) consented to that retrofit because of the injury to the right hand which the Polish driver suffered more than two years ago in a crash during the Ronde di Andora rally.

 “I am happy for Grupa LOTOS to support one of the best known and internationally recognised Polish drivers,” said Paweł Olechnowicz, President of the Grupa LOTOS Management Board. “I hope that the fruit of our cooperation with Robert will be a wealth of sporting emotions at the highest level. I wish Robert plenty of successes with his runs in the World and European Rally Championship events”.

Robert Kubica is a Polish racing and rally driver. He is the first, and so far the only, Pole to have competed in Formula 1 (in the years 2006-2010). His maiden rally took place in 2004, and since 2009 he has made regular appearances in special stages. In the 2010 season, he already topped the podium in his class, e.g. in the Antibes Rally - an event featuring in the ERW schedule.

Grupa LOTOS supports Polish rally teams and young competitors just entering the sport of kart racing. The LOTOS Rally Team colours – the first Polish rally team to join the world-class motorsport events in 2013 - are worn by multiple champions: Kajetan Kajetanowicz partnered by co-driver Jarek Baran and Michał Kościuszko partnered by co-driver Maciek Szczepaniak.

Thanks to their unique formula, LOTOS Dynamic fuels help achieve full engine power and acceleration boost, markedly enhancing the dynamism, response times and performance of cars. In addition, some of their components significantly reduce engine friction, while protecting fuel tanks and installations against corrosion. In May 2009, LOTOS Paliwa was honoured with the “Europrodukt” award for the market launch of Dynamic fuels. A year before, the fuels were named Product of the Year at the 15th edition of the 2008 Service Station Trade Fairs, and the Top Pomerania Product in a survey organised by the editorial board of the Dziennik Bałtycki daily. In 2010, LOTOS Dynamic fuels once again won the prestigious Golden Consumer Laurel, followed in 2011 by the Customer Laurel Grand Prix. For detailed information on ultra-modern Dynamic fuels and special sale promotions, visit: http://www.lotosdynamic.pl/

Communications Office, Grupa LOTOS S.A., ul. Elbląska 135, 80-718 Gdańsk, Poland, tel. (+48) 58 308 87 31, (+48) 58 308 83 88, (+48) 58 308 83 55, e-mail: media@grupalotos.pl