“Minirallis Latvija” results
96 crews gathered on the Biķernieki track in humid, but dry and slightly foggy conditions typical of Latvian autumn. Completing two speed stages in the morning, then repeating the route two more times, the competitors had the opportunity to use the knowledge gained to increase the pace. In the meantime, the decisive 3.66-kilometer speed stage is created in the same configuration as the rally sprint “Latvija” speed stage expected later in the evening.
Mārtiņš Ločmelis / Harijs Vējiņš (Subaru Impreza) demonstrated their skills from the very morning, achieving the best result in the first stage and confidently increasing the pace during the day, winning six of the seven stages in the general standings of the mini-rally “Latvija”. Edgars Freivalds / Gundars Kļaviņš (“Mitsubishi Lancer Evo”) were still outside the top three after the second stage, however, during the day, they masterfully picked up the pace, reaching the finish in a convincing second place. Madars Dīriņš / Gints Lasmanis (“Ford Fiesta Rally3”) climbed to the third step of the podium.
“It turned out to be a relatively good ride. Of course, we didn’t make mistakes, but everyone has them. We also encountered a technical problem – the car almost caught fire, but we successfully got to the service park to fix the defect and continued driving.
In the second speed stage, we hit the oil radiator in the big springboard. The oil started running down the pan and caught fire due to the hot exhaust. In the first service park, this leak seemed too small, but in the second lap we realized that it was not and there was a risk of ignition. People from the side said that the car was on fire, so we tried to drive fast enough to blow out the flames.
“We are satisfied with what we have done. I have always liked this rally because of the atmosphere. This rally is special because in the evening you have to sit in the second car and continue with the rally sprint, so we can’t celebrate yet,” said overall winner Martiņš Ločmelis after the race.
Madars Dīriņš / Gints Lasmanis won the “4WD Open” competition with a margin of only 0.3 seconds, while the overall winners Mārtiņš Ločmelis / Harijs Vējiņš added to their trophy collection with a triumph in the “4WD+” competition. Adrians Apsītis / Ints Marcinkevičs (Toyota) were successful in the “4WD” class, but in the rookie or “4WD Rookie” class, Gatis Zariņš / Jānis Brizga (Subaru Impreza) were the fastest today, taking first place in the final stage.
Jānis Cielēns / Salvis Rambols (“VW Golf”) became the winners in the “2WD Open” or one-axle drive car class. Armands Keiš / Jānis Šnikvalds (“BMW”) confidently triumphed in the “2WD” competition, while Niks Apfelbaums / Dinārs Tuchs (“BMW”) took the first place among the participants of the most widely represented “2WD Rookie” competition.
In the “2000” or two-liter engine group, Kārlis Roziņš / Artūrs Himičs (“Honda Civic Type R”) prevailed, but in the “1600” or 1.6-liter group, Jānis Jansons / Agnis Bērziņš (“Peugeot 206”) won. Kārlis Dzenītis / Mārcis Mālers (“BMW”) passed the Biķernieki track exam in the “Students” test. Roberts Veismanis / Pauls Gereiš (“Can-Am Maverick X3 XRS Turbo”) were the fastest in the “Buggy” competition.
Mini rally “Latvija” special awards
The organizers and supporters of the “Latvija” mini rally cup stage “ERST Finance” mini rally crews had taken care of various special prizes prepared by partners, providing the crews with an additional dose of motivation:
“ERST Finance”
A special prize – a fuel can with 98 brand fuel – was presented to Kārlis Dzenītis / Mārcis Māler for the fastest “Student” crew in the speed stage SS1 “ERST FINANCE”.
“Biķernieki Track”
A special prize – a gift card for a racing simulator – was presented to Arn Blumfeld / Karl Eberhard as the second fastest “1600” crew in the speed stage SS2 “BIKERSNIEKU TRASE”.
“Hydroscand”
The special prize for the fastest “4WD Rookie” crew in the speed stage SS3 “HYDROSCAND” was presented to Ivars Mielava / Linda Škilas.
“Green Motors – Škoda”
The special prize was awarded to Reinis Trūpa / Beata Klipa-Gribuste for the fastest crew, which includes a female coxswain, and which will have received the fewest penalty seconds during the mini-rally “Latvija”.
“SDK.lv”
Special prizes for the three fastest “Buggy” crews in the “Latvija” mini rally in the general standings were presented to Robert Veismani / Paul Gereis, Toomas Vesk / Karolaine Kariste and Roland Purava / Ingar Sakne.
“Conti Painting House”
The special prize – a gift card for the car painting service – was presented to Mārtiņš Ločmelis / Harijas Vējiņas as the fastest “4WD+” crew in the SS6 “CONTI STL PAINTING HOUSE” and SS7 “RLV SUPERSPECIAL” speed stages.
“Swecon”
Special award – Swecon tool set – as the fastest “2WD Rookie” crew in SS6 “CONTI STL PAINTING HOUSE” and SS7 “RLV SUPERSPECIAL” speed stages was presented to Nik Apfelbaum / Dinars Tuchs.