Day two began with Mads Ostberg / Torstein Eriksen (Citroen C3 R5) winning SS5 Liepāja by just 0.1 seconds, which also meant that they will receive the Liepāja city special prize. Oliver Solberg / Aaron Johnston (Volkswagen Polo GTI R5) quickly returned the favour, winning the next two stages and returning to service with a 22.4 second lead. Another special prize will be given out for performance in SS5 Liepāja – Gregoire Munster earned the SIXT Rent a car special prize an incredible 42-metre long jump on the Stroķacs jump.
After service, Ostberg was once again fastest, winnign SS8 Invest in Liepāja!, earning another special prize, this time from Liepājas Speciālā Ekonomiskā Zona. This was the final stage that was not won by the now two-time winner of Rally Liepāja, Oliver Solberg – the Swede won sic of the ten special stages, despite making a few mistakes, fighting the road conditions and having a few technical issues.
The final Rally Liepāja special prize went to Jānis Vorobjovs / Ivo Pūķis (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX), who were the fastest among crews with at least one representative from Latvia.
Latvians Mārtiņš Sesks / Renārs Francis (Ford Fiesta Rally 4) were in an exciting battle at the top of the ERC3 standings, but, unfortunately, their battle with Estonians Ken Torn / Kauri Pannas (Ford Fiesta) concluded in the Stroķacs jump, where Sesks damaged his radiator in the landing and was not able to continue further.
With that, Reinis Nitišs / Andris Mālnieks (Ford Fiesta Rally 4) were the fastest Latvians in the overall classification, concluding the event nineteenth overall and third place in both ERC3 and ERC3 Junior classes, beating Estonians Gregor Jeets / Kuldar Sikk (Ford Fiesta) by just 2.2 seconds.
Crews represented by Latvians earned two more podium spots in ERC2 class – Ainārs Igaveņš / Ralfs Igaveņš (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X, twenty-fifth place overall) finished second, but Dmitry Feofanov / Normunds Kokins (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X, twenty-seventh place overall) were third.
Oliver Solberg: “I was very cautious with braking initially, braking too early in almost every corner. In the narrow spots, it is very easy to get a puncture, so I was extra careful, but went as fast as I could in the wider sections. On SS7, I damaged the car a little, but the damage was minor. After that, I was driving carefully. I drove on used tires, but everything was ok, the ending was quite exciting. Thanks to everyone, this was an amazing weekend!”
Mads Ostberg: “Today was a bit more enjoyable. My mind wanted me to brake but I fought to drive faster. I did not do any perfect stages, but went for progress and everything was ok. I got more and more comfortable in my car with each stage. This was a great test for us and I am happy for the fight until the very end.”
Alexey Lukyanuk: “Even though we made multiple changes to the setup overnight, we did not manage to find the perfect balance. It did get better, though, and I really enjoyed the fast sections. We continued tinkering with the setups, but there was no drama. On the afternoon loop, the tires overheated, so we had to be mindful of that. Overall, this was a fantastic rally, great tires, and great setup. I believe that we earned valuable points for the championship standings, so I am happy with the result. We are happy to be at the finish.”
Reinis Nitišs: “The first large event in my 2020 programme, and we are thrilled with third place in the European Championship classification. Throughout the event, we tried to keep a pace that matches our experience, in order to not make any silly mistakes which would cost us time or be a cause for retirement. The stages on day one were a bit more suitable for my driving style, but we enjoyed day two as well, and got invaluable experience. This result gives me additional motivation to keep working and learning, to fight for even better results in the future!”
Rally Liepāja results are available HERE.
Videos will be available on the FIA European Rally Championship YouTube channel HERE.
FIA European Rally Championship event Rally Liepāja is possible thanks to the support provided by the Latvian government, rally city of Liepāja, as well as the Talsi region. We would like to thank our sponsors Neste, Pafbet Score, Ramirent, and SC Grupa, our car rental partner Sixt, as well as supporters Canon Business Center - IB Serviss, Liepājas Olimpiskais Centrs, Pafbet, and Swecon. Informative support is provided by news media DELFI and media partners JCDecaux Latvija, Kurzemes Vārds, Sporta Avīze, Talsu Vēstis, and Zebra. The rally would also not be possible without Rally Liepāja friends: Baltic Taxi, Flora, FN Serviss, Fristads, Jānis Pūce, Latvijas Pārtikas Ražotājs, Lofbergs, MB Grupa, Meža Dārzs, Red Bull, SignTech, Sportland, and Törley. Rally Liepāja is organized with the support of Aizpute, Durbe, Grobiņa, and Priekule region councils. A special thank you goes out to the Latvian Automobile Federation.
All news and information about Rally Liepāja is available online at www.lvrally.com, as well as on social media - Twitter @LVRally, Facebook /LVRally, draugiem.lv /lvrally, YouTube /RallyLiepāja, and Instagram /lvrally.
