In the upcoming weekend, an even bigger but already familiar to all of us lineup of participants from Poland will arrive to Rokiškis. This time Jakub Matulka who had never started in Lithuania before joined a list as well. The 24-year-old athlete is already considered one of the most promising rally drivers in the neighboring country.
In the first three seasons of his career, he managed to become the champion of national championships, start in several stages of ERC and WRC. Two weeks ago he achieved an impressive victory in the Rally Košice competition.
Jakub himself told about his path in the rally world and shared his thoughts before the upcoming “CBet Rally Rokiškis” competition.
– Tell us how you got into the world of rally?
– I found myself in it quite recently. This year is the third season and the second with an all-wheel drive car. Before that I was an alpine skier, but I became very interested in motor sports. I took my first steps driving a Peugeot 206 on a circuit that is not far from my home.
– What did your career path look like, which ultimately led you to a “Rally2” car?
– In 2022, I participated in local Polish competitions and several national championship competitions with Ford Fiesta R200. Last year I started in the Polish championship with a Ford Fiesta Rally3 and we won the championship there in class 3. In addition, we managed to participate in several ERC stages and, finally, we came second in the annual ERC3 standings. Before all this, there were still some competitions with the Peugeot 206.
– This year, with the Škoda Fabia Rally2 evo, you managed to start already in the 6th competition. How are you taming this car?
– The learning process is going smoothly, we are making good progress. We managed to be on the overall podium twice, and we also won our first rally in the Polish Championship. So far, I have experience with a car in the Rally2 category only on tarmac. Rally in Rokiškis will be my first time driving a Škoda on a gravel. I think it will take a while before I can be really competitive with this car.
– Last weekend you won your first victory in the Polish Championship. You have received countless greetings from the local rally community. How do you feel after your most important achievement before the upcoming rally in Lithuania?
– The weekend in Košice was really great. I feel great after taking my first win in the Polish Championship. Of course, this achievement gave me more self-confidence, but “CBet Rally Rokiškis” will be a big challenge. I hope to learn as many lessons as possible here.
– This competition will be your first visit to Lithuania. How did you find out about this rally?
– We already wanted to start in Lithuania last year, but it didn’t work out. I knew you had amazing roads and conditions, so the decision to start was easy. I hope that we will learn a lot and gain a lot of experience in this rally.
– This should be the ninth start on gravel in your career, but the first time you will drive a Rally2 car on this surface. What main goals and objectives have you set for the upcoming competition?
– Yes, this will be my first competition with Škoda on gravel, so the main goals will be to feel how the car behaves and gather as much information as possible. Of course, we will try to reach the finish of the competition and see how fast our pace will be. Of course, the local guys will be very fast, so I’m not setting myself high goals.
(Ignas Augustonis/ralio-savaite.lt)
