Robert Kubica and Maciek Baran hit the podium in the WRC-2 category of the next round of the World Rally Championship 2013. With their previous two wins – in the Rally d’Italia Sardegna and the Acropolis Rally – they now stand second in their category after the Rally Finland, which is the eighth and hardest of the WRC rounds. This advances the Polish Team, supported by the LOTOS Group, to third place in this year's WRC-2 standings.

On August 1st, the first day of the Rally, Kubica was already showing his readiness to battle the legendary Finnish WRC round, considered the hardest and the fastest of the season. Thursday's two initial special stages put Kubica in third place in the WRC-2 classification. In the next two stages, his performance put him between fifth and second, but by the end of the day, after six special stages, Kubica was a clear second among the drivers in his category.

The second day of the competition continued to see Robert assert his authority over the Finnish gravel and tricky jumps. Except for the twelfth special stage, he finished all of Friday's stages with a significant advantage over the remaining 16 WRC-2 drivers, including an almost one-and-a-half minute advantage over third place man, Hayden Paddon. Even a tree growing by the road couldn't stop the Pole on his way to the podium. Running right over it in the ninth special stage after skidding off the track on a rut in a bend, his Citroen survived this close encounter with the Finnish flora (save for some minor front bumper damage), and Kubica, not a bit discouraged, sped away toward the finish line.

Eventually, Kubica held on to his second position in the WRC-2 category of the famous 'Thousand Lakes Rally', giving him the ninth spot in the general classification. The Polish LOTOS-supported driver yielded only to the Finish Champion, Jari Ketomaa. At the top of the WRC general classification is Sebastien Ogier, the current leader of this year's World Championships.

Thanks to his second place in Finland, Kubica has advanced to third place in this year's WRC-2 general classification, only two points shy of Nico Fuchs' second place, and 17 points from the leader, Abdulaziz al-Kuwari.

The next WRC round, where both Robert Kubica and Maciek Baran, as well as the LOTOS Rally Team of Michał Kościuszko and Maciek Szczepaniak will take part, is the Rallye Deutschland (August 22nd-25th 2013). This week we will also see the other LOTOS Rally Team of Kajetan Kajetanowicz and Jarek Baran, who will be competing in the fourth round of the LOTOS Polish Rally Championship, the Rzeszów Rally, starting on August 8th.

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

For more information on Robert Kubica and the LOTOS Rally Team's results, visit our Facebook page “Emocje do Pełna” (Emotions to the Full), or http://www.lotosrallyteam.pl

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