This year I’m hoping to take my race driving skills to the next level and starting in the Interia Drive Cup in Poland. It’s targeted at (good) amateur drivers but also experienced ones ready to leap into the world of pro championships. That’s exactly why it’s a good mix, I have space to improve competing against others who are much better than me at this stage of my ‘career’.

Interia Drive Cup is formed of 6 races held at various racecourses in Poland plus a bonus cross country rally. So far I’ve done two, one in Modlin (it’s a fairly new track set at Modlin Airport in Warsaw) and the super vintage ‘Tor Kielce’, about two hours drive south of Warsaw. Tor Kielce in Miedziana Gora was built back in the 1970s, behind the iron curtain. Frankly, it looks like not much has changed since then… the decaying façade, the old school café inside and the motel which the main building also houses, have all been left untouched by passing time.

There are only three proper racecourses in Poland: the uber-modern Silesia Ring (where I did my Porsche Experience last year), Tor Poznan and Tor Kielce. A few smaller racecourses exist (primarily meant for karting or old airports adapted into a track), but overall, not that many in the whole country. Despite this, motorsport seems to be thriving in Poland and there’s quite a lot of amateur and pro-am competitions out here.

Over 100 cars and teams took part in both the races I’ve done so far. You get roughly about 8 -10 rides altogether (including test drives before the official racing starts). The cars are divided into various classes and time counted for each completed loop. In short, the best time in each class wins.

I’m still a beginner to both racing and rallying. Not sure what I prefer more, I do enjoy the track but proper off-road rallying has it’s kick of adrenaline (I’ve done less of it). Either way, I just love the driving itself and learning new skills, which come in handy day to day.

Currently training in a 1980s Toyota Corolla. Smooth, not too demanding and not too fast – a great car to learn the basics, especially during my first proper season. My coach is Adam Dowgird, who is a friend of mine, but also an accomplished rally driver and instructor. He is patiently teaching me about how to break properly, operating the pedal with my left foot, or how to turn the steering wheel correctly. There’s a lot to master. But one thing I know, I love the kick I get from driving and the feeling of absolute zen and freedom. I don’t think about anything else, just the bends ahead. That’s the best thing about it.

A few bonus pics below taken from the official FB page of the Interia Drive Cup rally (by Michal Siewior and Edyta Michalik)