The Dakar Rally is one of the most famous and toughest rallies in the world. In 2022, more than 180 teams and their vehicles will take on a total distance of 8,375 kilometres, with twelve time trials to be completed. Taking part are the Pole, Jakub “Kuba” Przygonski and his German co-pilot, Timo Gottschalk. After their strong 4th place last year, the Polish-German team are aiming for a podium finish at their third joint Dakar event. Once again, they will be supported by ORLEN Deutschland GmbH, whose logo adorns their 367 HP X-Raid Mini Buggy.
“The collaboration with star and ORLEN petrol stations is a perfect match for us. star is active in Germany but also belongs to the Polish ORLEN Group. This Polish-German collaboration also exists between me and Timo. That’s why we are pleased to be flying the colours of the star and ORLEN community trade mark. We are proud to be representing this partnership on a global scale, especially since the Dakar Rally is a bigger deal in Europe,” says 37-year-old Jakub Przygonski.
At Przygonski’s side, Timo Gottschalk is responsible for navigation. In 2011, the 47-year-old from Neuruppin (Brandenburg) was the navigator for Nasser Al-Attiyah during his first win at the desert classic. “The Dakar Rally is the highlight of the season. We know that we need to be leading the pack right from the start to stand a chance of a podium finish. But that won’t happen without a bit of luck. We are relying on getting through each day without any problems – and hopefully ending up right at the front,” says Gottschalk. And with regard to the partnership with ORLEN Deutschland, he adds: “We are pleased to be featuring the star and the ORLEN branding on our car again. We are getting a huge amount of support and the collaboration with star and ORLEN is extremely enjoyable.”
The partnership with the Polish-German rally team at the Dakar event is part of the ORLEN Group’s international brand strategy. Aside from strengthening the ORLEN umbrella brand, the goal is to increase the prominence of star and ORLEN petrol stations in Germany.
The Dakar Rally is being held from 1 to 14 January 2022 in Saudi Arabia. It is one of the most significant events in motor sport, next to the Monte Carlo Rally (World Rally Championship), the 24 Hours of Le Mans (sports cars), the Monaco Grand Prix (Formula 1) and the Indianapolis 500.
Image: The ORLEN team Jakub Przygonski and Timo Gottschalk
Image: The 367 HP X-Raid Mini Buggy in action.
star and ORLEN - the petrol stations of ORLEN Deutschland GmbH
ORLEN Deutschland GmbH was founded in March 2003. It is a 100% subsidiary of the Polish multi-energy corporation PKN ORLEN S.A. and part of the international ORLEN Group. The company currently operates almost 600 star and ORLEN petrol stations on the German market. ORLEN Deutschland GmbH, based in Elmshorn, is one of the ten largest petrol station operators in Germany and has been the main sponsor of German handball record champion THW Kiel since 2016.
According to the slogan "More than just cheap fuel", star and ORLEN petrol stations offer quality fuels as well as their own brand products at an attractive price-performance ratio. Customers also benefit from a cooperation with the German Automobile Club ADAC (instant discount of 1 cent per litre of petrol for members) or from the B2B-fleet-card and receive additional services such as car washing and parcel services at many stations. Filling stations with 'star café' and 'stop. café' invite you to take breaks in a feel-good atmosphere and offer coffee specialities, a large selection of tasty meals and hot and cold snacks all day long.
Media contact:
ORLEN Deutschland GmbH
Birgit Schmidt
Head of Corporate Communications