Litwinowicz: I never believed we’d get this far

Five years ago, Damian Litwinowicz was struggling to find the money to continue competing in his national rallycross championship and fearing his dream was coming to an end. Fast forward to 2023, and he will go into the Euro RX3 campaign as the highest-placed returning driver – and gunning for glory.

Litwinowicz made his FIA European Rallycross Championship debut in 2021, reaching the rostrum in Belgium on his way to sixth in the overall standings. In his sophomore season last year, the Pole built upon that solid foundation with three straight podium finishes over the second half of the campaign to seal the runner-up spot in the title table.

“I feel like I made good progress in 2022 – a lot of which I owe to Volland Racing, who gave me the confidence I needed to step up to the next level,” he explains. “They’re clearly the benchmark team in Euro RX3, having won the title now for seven years in a row. Rolf [Volland – team owner] is a very straight-talking guy, which I like – for me, that’s definitely the best way – and there is so much experience that I can lean upon.

“Everybody is ultra-professional and analyses everything right down to the finest detail, and having several drivers in the team allows us to exchange data, try out different set-up options and find the limits more quickly. I’m so pleased to have joined Volland Racing, and am really looking forward to going into my second season with them.”

Litwinowicz switched to Volland following the 2022 Nyirád curtain-raiser, and the upturn in his form was immediate. After taking the chequered flag third at Höljes only to subsequently be disqualified for overtaking under a yellow flag, he was then never off the podium in the fiercely-disputed series.

Indeed, the 24-year-old has advanced to the final in all bar one of the ten Euro RX3 rounds he has contested to-date – missing out solely at Lohéac in his maiden campaign after his clutch failed at the start of one of the heat races. With 2022 champion Kobe Pauwels having moved on elsewhere, that kind of impressive consistency could be a real ace up his sleeve this year, when Litwinowicz hopes to fulfil his next objective...

“I feel much stronger as a driver with two seasons’ experience under my belt, and my major goal is to keep on improving,” asserts the Poznan native. “I’m more confident in the car now. My first season was a big learning curve for me in that respect; it was a significant step going from the Honda I had driven before to the Audi A1, and it took me quite a long time to get to grips with it.

“Now I’ve proved I can finish consistently on the podium in Euro RX3, and while I obviously want to win, so does everybody else! I don’t feel any additional pressure from being the highest-placed returning driver. The competition is clearly going to be very tough again and I’m expecting a real fight – but knowing I have a good car underneath me and a good team behind me is a big boost.

“I’ve got to say, five years ago, I would never have believed I’d be in this position. We were struggling for budget and competing in the European Championship was only a pipe dream back then. Even just being here feels like an achievement in itself...”