He and co-driver Maciej Szczepaniak required a result of third or higher at this final round of the season to secure the title, and by recording a second-place finish behind rival Nikolay Gryazin, the Polish pair were successful in doing so.
Kajetanowicz and Szczepaniak become the inaugural champions in WRC2 Challenger, a support series introduced at the beginning of 2023 for WRC2-registered drivers and co-drivers who have not previously won a title with Rally2 machinery at WRC level.
“We can say we are the champions!” said the ecstatic Kajetanowicz. "It's amazing, but I want to say thank you to Maciej, to the whole of ORLEN Rally Team, all of my sponsors and of course to my wife. It's an amazing feeling!"
While Kajetanowicz and Gryazin both netted podiums in the WRC2 category outright, Norway’s Andreas Mikkelsen was in a league of his own and took victory by more than a minute. Mikkelsen wrapped up the WRC2 title a fortnight ago at Central European Rally, and the triumph here in Japan was his fourth of the season.