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15-01-2025 12:40
Rally Sarma 2025 to open the Baltic Sea Rally Championship for the Second Consecutive Year
The traditional winter rally, Sarma 2025, will celebrate its 50th anniversary this year with competitions during the second weekend of February. For the second consecutive year, it has been included in the Baltic Sea Rally Championship calendar as the opening round of the championship. Simultaneously, the event will continue to host rounds of the Latvian Rally Championship, Rallysprint Championship and Historic Rally Car Championship. Additionally, participant registration has already begun since the end of last week, with the first entries already received.
The 2025 Baltic Sea Rally Championship calendar includes the following events: Rally Sarma 2025 (February 7–8, Gulbene, Latvia), Länsirannikon Ralli 2025 (May 23–24, Turku, Finland), Paide Rally 2025 (August 22–23, Paide, Estonia), and Rally Aukštaitija 2025 (October 3–4, Zarasai, Lithuania). Rally Cēsis 2025 has been designated as a reserve event for the championship.
In the previous season, more than 240 rally crews from 14 countries participated across the four championship rounds. Estonia claimed victory in the Nations Cup, decisively surpassing Latvia, Finland, and other competing countries. Latvian athletes also achieved notable success, winning three out of six classes. Emīls Blūms and Didzis Eglītis (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX) won the season standings in Class 4, while Madars Dīriņš and Gints Lasmanis (Honda Civic) secured the top spot in Class 6. Turkish young pilot Can Alakoç also earned a victory in Class 3, competing under a license issued by the Latvian Automobile Federation and collaborating with Latvian co-drivers Andris Mālnieks and Ivo Pūķis throughout the season.
Last year marked a significant milestone for the Baltic Sea Rally Championship, with a notable increase in the number of crews striving to participate in all championship rounds, even when these did not overlap with their respective national championships. The rules and regulations for the Baltic Sea Rally Championship are available at: https://uus.autosport.ee/sport/ralli/
Rally Sarma 2025 will take place on February 7 and 8. The first day will feature the rally's opening ceremony and a showcase stage, while the second day will challenge participants with three specially prepared anniversary stages, each repeated twice, covering a total distance of 91.28 km. Registration for Rally Sarma 2025 is available on the Latvian Rally Championship website: www.autorally.lv
Calendar of Baltic Sea Rally Championship 2025
7-8 February - Rally Sarma - Gulbene, Latvia
23-24 May - Länsirannikon Ralli - Turku, Finland
22-23 August - Paide Rally - Paide, Estonia
*19.-20 September - Rally Cesis - Cesis, Latvia (* Replacement rally)
3-4 October - Rally Aukštaitija - Zarasai, Lithuania
Photo: Latvian Rally Championship
