Poland WRC regular Michal Kosciuszko admitted he was surprised to learn that fellow countryman and ex-F1 racer Robert Kubica will join the WRC next month.Kosciuszko said the news that Kubica would drive a Citroen DS3 RRC in the WRC 2 category was a shock, but backed him to be a success in his first full-time rally programme.
“Everybody waited to see what would happen with Robert’s career,” the Mini John Cooper Works pilot told wrc.com. “Nobody knew what would happen next and some people thought that maybe racing would be the direction for him.
“It’s quite a surprise but the publicity for the sport is positive and everyone will keep their fingers crossed for him. It’s good he’s back and competing at the top level,” he said.
Both drivers hail from Krakow, although Kubica now lives in Italy, but Kosciuszko has not spoken to the ex-Renault Grand Prix pilot about his career step.
“He’s a great driver, very talented, and I think he will quickly adapt to the new sport. Rallying in Poland will become more popular and that’s good.
“I’m just happy that he feels OK and can drive again. We were all scared about what happened during his accident. He’s shown a great spirit to get back and I hope he can make a nice season,” added Kosciuszko.
Kubica has long had a passion for rallying but his driving career was thrown into doubt in February 2011 when he was left with limited use of his right hand after crashing in a rally in Italy.
He competed in several national rallies last year before confirming a full WRC 2 season with Citroen earlier this week. His programme will start at Rally de Portugal in April and he will prepare with an outing at Rally Islas Canarias, the third round of the FIA European Rally Championship, later this month.