Barbórka Rally full of emotions!

Łukasz Byśkiniewicz and Daniel Siatkowski concluded their rally season traditionally by participating in the Barbórka Rally in Warsaw. This year’s edition brought an abundance of excitement, thanks to a high level of competition.

The TVN TURBO crew achieved an impressive 5th place in the Barbórka Rally, contested over seven daytime special stages. Naturally, the Warsaw-Olsztyn duo competed on Poland’s most famous special stage—Karowa Street. During the climactic evening Kryterium Asów on Karowa Street, the crew of the Škoda Fabia Rally2 Evo delivered an outstanding performance, aiming to replicate their best time from 2022. Unfortunately, their path to a great result was obstructed by the sharp “claw” of Karowa—an exposed cobblestone that tore a tire.
As a result, Byśkiniewicz encountered significant difficulties executing the final two spins smoothly, just before the finish line.

Łukasz Byśkiniewicz:
A Stroke of Bad Luck That’s the only way I can describe what happened to us on Karowa Street. We got a flat tire after hitting an exposed or loose cobblestone. I remember that in the past, cobblestones were pulled out on the hairpin turn under the bridge. This time, they were “flying” on the descent from the viaduct, in a place where I never would have expected it. I heard the impact but didn’t think it was a cobblestone. I assumed it was just Karowa’s uneven surface. We couldn’t complete the last two spins smoothly—more like circles drawn with a compass—but instead very awkwardly and with significant time loss. At the finish line, I still didn’t know what had happened. I thought the tires had overheated, making the car unresponsive. It turned out the cause of the handling issues was the extremely low tire pressure. After crossing the finish line, the tire was completely deflated. It’s a great pity, as the run was going brilliantly, and I know we could have made it to the podium. But, well… this time Lady Karowa showed her true colors, and our evening date didn’t quite work out. Still, I know I’ll be back for more dates with her. As for the daytime special stages, Daniel and I are satisfied with our flawless and fast driving, as well as the 5th place finish in the Barbórka Rally. I’d like to thank the fans for their enthusiastic support, our partners for their backing throughout the 2024 Polish Rally Championship season, and the K Rally Team for preparing the car to perfection.

Daniel Siatkowski:
I consider fifth place in the daytime part of the Barbórka Rally to be a good result. However, Lady Karowa showed us her true face. While descending, I heard a loud impact. I thought something had happened to the suspension. I didn’t recall any holes or loose cobblestones in that spot. It turned out we had picked up a flat tire due to a sharp cobblestone dislodged by the cars ahead of us. This year, the surface was very grippy, and the tires were pulling cobblestones loose in new areas. Up to that moment, I believe we were on track for a podium finish. But that’s the nature of this sport. It happens.