A historic victory for 19-year-old Adrian Rzeźnik at the Rzeszów Rally 2026

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A historic victory for 19-year-old Adrian Rzeźnik at the Rzeszów Rally 2026

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Aug, 2026

Adrian Rzeźnik and Kamil Kozdroń, competing for the Polish Championship title, led the 35th Rally Rzeszów from start to finish. The ORLEN Team crew won 5 out of 10 special stages and the rally as a whole - with a lead of over a minute over Grzegorz Grzyb and Adam Binięda - thereby taking the lead in the KIQ Polish Rally Championship standings. 19-year-old Adrian Rzeźnik triumphed in Rzeszów almost exactly 12 years after his father, Maciej Rzeźnik, won the same event.

- It’s hard to put all this into words. Winning our home rally and securing vital points in the title race - for us, it’s a dream come true. I’d like to say a huge thank you to my dad, who puts his whole heart into this, to my family, our fans and everyone who makes it possible for us to win and fight for the title. A huge thank you to the whole team, Keane Motorsport and our partners. We had a good pace, which allowed us to win stages without taking unnecessary risks. We’re leading the RSMP, and now it’s time for a short break - see you at the Rally Wisła - said Adrian Rzeźnik from ORLEN Team - the youngest ever winner of both an RSMP round and the Rzeszów Rally.

Thursday greeted the competitors with sweltering heat, but by Friday - before the start of the first special stage of the 35th Rally Rzeszów - the weather had taken a turn for the worse. The crews tackled the rally’s longest special stage, the 19-kilometre Chmielnik stage, literally in a wall of water. Adrian Rzeźnik and Kamil Kozdroń won this special stage by a margin of over 40 seconds, going on to win two more stages by the end of the day. They finished Friday’s leg of the 35th rally Rzeszów with a lead of almost a minute over the Grzyb/Binięda duo.

Rzeźnik and Kozdroń began Saturday with two more special stage victories, and on the final loop the ORLEN Team crew controlled the pace, picking up extra points for third place on the final Power Stage. At the finish line, Adrian Rzeźnik and Kamil Kozdroń celebrated their second victory in the KIQ RSMP series – having previously triumphed in the season-opening 54th Świdnica Rally – as well as taking the lead in the championship.

- We’ve won our home rally, the Rzeszów Rally – a huge round of applause for Adrian for his brilliant pace and excellent time management. Another positive aspect of today, apart from the victory and taking the lead in the RSMP, of course, came on the first loop. Instead of winning the Lubenia stage, we decided to save a squirrel that had darted onto the road during a fast section. We had to ease off and veer off the racing line, so we probably lost about 2 seconds - added Kamil Kozdroń.

Ahead of the 70th Rally Wisła, which will take place on 18–19 September, Adrian Rzeźnik and Kamil Kozdroń have taken the lead in the standings. This means that the title winners will be decided during the final round of the KIQ RSMP. In accordance with the series regulations, the points scored in that round will be multiplied by a factor of 1.5.

35th Rally Rzeszów:
1. Rzeźnik/Kozdroń (Škoda Fabia RS Rally2) 1:19:22,8 s
2. Grzyb/Binięda (Škoda Fabia RS Rally2) +1:14,4 s
3. Szeja/Szeja (Škoda Fabia RS Rally2) +1:16,1 s
4. Byśkiniewicz/Jastrzębski (Škoda Fabia RS Rally2) +1:40,9 s
5. Kołtun/Pleskot (Škoda Fabia RS Rally2) +2:42,7 s
6. Gabryś/Sadowski (Škoda Fabia RS Rally2) +3:15,1 s

KIQ RSMP overall standings after the 35th Rally Rzeszów:
1. Rzeźnik/Kozdroń 138 pts
2. Szeja/Szeja 137 pts
3. Byśkiniewicz/Jastrzębski 124 pts