Having performed very well in the gravel-road stages of the Rally Azores, Robert Kubica finished sixth. After the Rally Portugal, this is the second sixth-place result for the LOTOS-supported driver, thanks to difficult weather conditions.

On Thursday April 25th, the first day of the Rally Azores – the fourth preliminary round of the FIA European Rally Championship – Kubica was second to none. Having won the qualifying stage, he was then unbeatable on all three special stages. But due to heavy rains and thick fog, the organisers were forced to shorten Thursday’s route by more than half, to some 15 kilometres. After the first day of the rally, Kubica was first, with a 10-second advantage over the frontrunner – rival Jan Kopecky from the Czech Republic.

On the second day, Kubica and co-driver Maciek Baran continued their winning streak for two more special stages. In the next stage, they finished third due to a damaged tyre. With the tough weather conditions, the longest section of the race – the 24km-long Sete Ciudades – was a real challenge.

“Unfortunately, we were struggling with dense fog for 16 kilometres, and in some places we couldn't see further than 10-15 metres,” Kubica remarked after SS8. “I’m not here to race, but to learn. The conditions were extreme. I’d never driven in such thick fog, that prevailed for so long. We let it go then, as there was no sense taking risks. When driving a route for the first time, not being sure whether the description is correct, you usually take it easy. We made the right decision.”

At this point, the Polish team dropped to sixth place in the general classifications. A roll during the eleventh special stage then put an end to their struggle for a better position.

“On a right turn, I lost control of the car,” Kubica explained. “The road was narrow, and we bumped an earth mound at the side. We almost managed to survive, but the embankment was pretty large, and we were pulled to one side and rolled over.”

As a result, Robert and Maciek lost four precious minutes, but despite a damaged suspension in their Citroen DS3 RRC, they managed to continue to the service area. Fortunately, Saturday April 27th – the last day of the rally – saw no unpleasant surprises, and the Polish team finished with their sixth place position intact.
For Kubica, it was only his second time on gravel. However, it was the first time he had been driving on wet gravel. Certainly, the extremely hard conditions in the Portuguese archipelago were highly valuable experience for the racer.

Ultimately, the winner of the Rally Azores was Jan Kopecky.

The next event in which Robert Kubica will participate will be the Rally Corsica (the fifth preliminary round of the FIA European Rally Championship), to be held May 17th-18th 2013.

For information on Robert Kubica’s and the LOTOS Rally Teams’ results, visit our Facebook page “Emocje do Pełna” (Emotions to the Full) at http://www.facebook.com/EmocjeDoPelna.

Grupa LOTOS is Robert Kubica's Official Partner and the strategic partner of the LOTOS Rally Teams of Michał Kościuszko and Maciek Szczepaniak, as well as Kajetan Kajetanowicz and Jarek Baran.

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