Kozdroń claims Polish rally title after eight-year wait

Kamil Kozdroń has finally claimed the Polish Rally Championship title he lost eight years ago. The 37-year-old co-driver secured the 2026 KIQ Polish Rally Championship with 19-year-old driver Adrian Rzeźnik at the final round, the 70th Vistula Rally, finishing with 188 points—eleven ahead of runners-up Jarosław and Marcin Szeja.

The championship decider came down to the Power Stage, the final special stage of the rally where bonus points are awarded to the top five crews. Rzeźnik and Kozdroń held a narrow 6.2-second advantage over the Szeja brothers entering the 9.24-kilometre test. The Bracia had won all six Saturday stages, steadily eroding a deficit that had exceeded thirty seconds at the start of the day. Rather than defend their lead, Rzeźnik and Kozdroń chose to attack, delivering one of the fastest runs of Kozdroń's career to win the stage by 1.2 seconds and secure the rally by 7.4 seconds.

The victory carries particular weight for Kozdroń. In 2018, he contested the Polish Championship finale, the Rally Poland, as co-driver to Jakub Brzeziński. Leading the championship, they switched from a Škoda Fabia R5 to a cheaper Ford Fiesta R5 due to budget constraints. A broken wheel on the opening day forced them to retire, but they returned for the second leg and remained in contention for the title through the Power Stage bonus points. A power-steering failure in the decisive moment cost them the championship; they finished third in the season, with Grzegorz Grzyb and Jakub Wróbel taking the title.

Brzeziński attended the Vistula Rally finale to support Kozdroń and Rzeźnik. Before the Power Stage, he reminded Kozdroń of what he deserved: "Take what you should have taken in 2018, because you truly deserve it and I'm rooting for you." Brzeziński later reflected on the pressure of that final stage: "When they drove out for the last stage, I was with them emotionally as if I were about to start myself. I remember perfectly the situation in 2018 when Kamil and I stood before the start of the stage that was to decide everything. I know how hard it is to focus and drive the final special stage at the pace of your life."

Rzeźnik's championship marks him as the youngest champion in KIQ Polish Rally Championship history. The partnership between driver and co-driver began in early 2025 after recommendations from Filip Nivette, the 2017 Polish champion, and Grzyb. They tested a Rally3 car and immediately impressed each other. During a training event at the Arctic Rally Finland ahead of the 2026 season, Kozdroń observed Rzeźnik's capability in the more powerful Rally2 car—the fastest and most advanced machine permitted in Polish championship competition. Despite the teenager's debut season in the category, Kozdroń believed they could fight for the title.

Kozdroń, an engineer and graduate of Kraków University of Technology, manages the sales department at M-Sport Poland, where Ford Fiesta Rally3, Rally4, and Rally5 cars are built and serviced for competitors worldwide. His connection to rallying began at fifteen as a marshal at local events; he made his co-driving debut shortly after turning seventeen. His experience spans 15 starts in World Rally Championship rounds and 17 in European Championship events. In the Polish championship, he has won five times and podiumed thirteen times, logging 36 rallies with Hubert Ptaszek, 29 with Rzeźnik, 17 with Rafał Kwiatkowski, and seven with Brzeziński.

Brzeziński praised Kozdroń's role beyond reading pace notes: "A co-driver is a private coordinator for the driver. For me, it was very important that the driver could focus solely on his work. Kamil always messaged me about what time I needed to wake up, how long we'd need to prepare, reach the service or the car. He thought about so many things, including what time I should go to bed. He is the best rally co-driver I have driven with in my career. Everything, from organizing before the rally, through its course, to the stages, was ten out of ten. And beyond that, he is above all a very humble man." Grzyb added that Kozdroń's technical knowledge—gained through his work at M-Sport—and his experience across multiple drivers made him invaluable in diagnosing what happened inside the car during competition.

The 2026 Polish Rally Championship final standings (after six rounds): 1. Adrian Rzeźnik/Kamil Kozdroń 188 pts; 2. Jarosław Szeja/Marcin Szeja 177 pts; 3. Łukasz Byśkiniewicz/Łukasz Jastrzębski 157.5 pts; 4. Jarosław Kołtun/Ireneusz Pleskot 139.5 pts; 5. Michał Chorbiński/Adam Chrzanowski 88.5 pts; 6. Zbigniew Gabryś/Adrian Sadowski 53 pts; 7. Tomasz Bargiel/Jakub Wróbel 52.5 pts; 8. Jakub Ulanowski/Rafał Fiołek 52 pts; 9. Marcin Górny/Mateusz Martynek 44 pts; 10. Dariusz Poloński/Łukasz Sitek 35 pts.