I left this event with one very clear impression: rallying isn’t in trouble.
On a rare weekend away from the World Rally Championship – a series trying to grow its fanbase and improve its media offering – I sat in the middle of what can only be described as pandemonium, but in the best possible way.
It helps that my viewing point was from inside Matias Henkola’s 900bhp Audi, but the statement remains true: fans were everywhere. Rallying, it seems, can still pull a crowd – and a fervent, energized one at that.
Welcome to Poland Rally Legend; a show event just three years old but already making waves, with drivers like Marcus Grönholm, Bruno Thiry, Armin Schwarz, and Patrick Snijers all in attendance, as well as Poland’s most decorated active driver Kajetan Kajetanowicz.
And allow me to introduce you to Michał Majewski. Officially he’s the director assistant for spectator safety and a member of the organizing committee, but in reality he’s one of us.
He’s a rally fan, who happens to be working with several other rally fans to help create a now annual festival.
“Many of us had visited San Marino [for Rallylegend] as spectators, and I had the opportunity to compete in the event twice as a co-driver. We decided that Polish fans and drivers deserved a similar event in Poland,” Majewski told DirtFish.
“After all, the area around Kłodzko and Polanica hosted ERC Rally Poland – the flagship rally event in the country – for many years.”
Originally called Dolnośląski Rajd Legend, the event first ran in 2024 and initially struggled for entries, but was always well received by those who took part, and those who came to see it.
In a bid to attract more competitors, a decision was made to rename the event Poland Rally Legend – “feeling that would gain the event international status” Majewski said.
It worked. Entry numbers increased to 84 in 2025, and in 2026 140 cars were on the start-line.
What makes Poland Rally Legend different
Europe has several rally festivals running each year, mainly the aforementioned Rallylegend in October but also July’s Eifel Rallye Festival.
While Rallylegend is more of a rally carnival, Eifel is more of a moving museum. So how does Poland Rally Legend fit in?
In my experience, it’s more Rallylegend than Eifel. But it shouldn’t be confused with Rallylegend either.
“We don’t want to compete with Rallylegend in San Marino,” said Majewski. “Their event is the pioneer of this type of showcase worldwide. We draw certain ideas from them, but we strive to build our rally in our own way.
“My dream is to create a whole series of these show-style events – four or five throughout the year. Is it a good idea? I don’t know. Will it ever come to life? I don’t know either. But it’s always worth dreaming.”
As it stands, Poland Rally Legend has created a really strong format. Recce was followed by a press conference and then the electric ceremonial start on Thursday, before three stages on Friday and nine more on Saturday.
While there is a timed element to the event, in reality it’s a show and so plenty drivers use gravel tires and suspension despite the roads being asphalt, just so they can thrill the fans.
But a key strength is the organizers’ attitude toward their competitors.
“Right from the start – when we were inviting drivers for the very first edition – we built a real bond with them,” Majewski explained. “We didn’t treat them like intruders, but as our best partners who are building this rally alongside us.
“The same goes for the fans; they are an integral part of the event. We listen to their feedback and draw inspiration from their ideas.”
Having co-driven in this year’s event, I can confirm this to be completely true. There was no problem, big or small, that the organizers could not solve.
The competitors’ view
For a proper competitor’s view, though, let’s turn to WRC2 driver Fabio Schwarz, who in Poland was co-driving his father Armin’s Rally Spain-winning Toyota Celica ST165.
This year was Schwarz’s first visit to Poland Rally Legend, but he’s no stranger to other legend events.
“I was genuinely very positively surprised,” he told DirtFish. “The atmosphere was amazing, the town where it took place had really nice scenery and especially the show at the start, the press conference we had, I think they did a really good job to put on a show for the fans.
“Also from the organization side everything went super smoothly, super nice, we had zero canceled stages which I didn’t expect at all to be fair. I had a great time, also being a co-driver but seeing so many fans on the sidelines being that motivated but still respecting the rules and not being completely on the road as you have on other show events.
“As a competitor you always want to look out for the safety of the guys, so the combination of all that for me made it a really, really good event.
“The people were so nice, so open, so for sure for us it wasn’t our last time there. We already have some ideas about what kind of toys we could bring for 2027, and I think that says it all.”
Frank Kelly – an Irishman famous for his ‘baby blue’ Mk2 Escort – was another to be thoroughly impressed.
“What a blast the last few days have been,” Kelly said. “I’ve never seen so many spectators on a rally before.
“The Polish fans lined the stages from start to finish. The enthusiasm and warmth shown by the crowds was equalled by the organizers, officials and marshals at every turn.
“A fantastic example of how a rally like this should be run.”
Triple European Rally champion Kajetanowicz, who brought a Citroën C3 WRC out for the occasion, added: “We knew before the event that it would be really special, but we did not expect such a fantastic atmosphere.”
What is the future?
Poland Rally Legend is surpassing expectations after just three years of running, but what does the future hold?
Majewski believes the 2026 edition “showed our vision for this rally”.
“We want it to be a mix of a classic rally and a show built around historic motorsport,” he said. “We definitely want to keep that balance right.
“Our main goal is to bring rallying back to its former glory and to pass this passion on to new people. It’s a fantastic sport that we’ve been passionate about since childhood.
“I also want to thank the drivers and the fans – we are building this rally together, for all of us. Let’s keep this going until the end of time.”
That kind of spirit will keep Poland Rally Legend alive for a very long time. I feel it’s one or two mega star drivers away from being an unmissable event on all rally fan’s calendars. That’s if it isn’t already.
August 26-28, 2027: it’s not too early to book your annual leave!
