A total of nineteen crews took part in Youngtimer Rally Liepāja, with the competition taking place over fourteen special stages. The start times were an additional challenge – start of day one was at 6:30 in Talsi, with the final stage of the day beginning at 17:10, followed by a trip to Liepāja. Day two began at 6:55, and concluded at 15:15 with the finish podium.
Getting a bit ahead of things, we have to say that the seemingly simple task of doing a stage at a set average speed is not as easy as it sounds, and the competitors ran into quite a few issues throughout the event. Three of the nineteen crews did not reach the finish, with one retiring due to an accident, while two more had to retire with technical problems or personal issues.
The fight for penalties (in regularity rally, the crews have to be as precise as possible, with penalties being given out for not getting through a checkpoint at the exact expected time). After two days of driving, Arnis Modris (Opel Ascona) came out on top of the standings, having amassed a total of 29.42 penalty seconds. Fight for the podium spots was very close, as second-placed Agris Staņēvičs (VAZ Lada 1500S) was only 2.17 seconds behind the winner, while Normunds Kalvāns (Saab 96) was third overall, and just 2.90 seconds from victory. Fourth place was also very close, with Estonian Toomas Kreek (VAZ 21011) just 4.06 seconds behind the overall winner. To emphasise the difficulty of these events, we can say that the last placed crew earned a total of 3 minutes and 47.51 seconds in penalties.
Competitors from Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, and Russia took part in the event, driving cars manufactured by Opel, Saab, Porsche, VAZ, Volkswagen, BMW, GAZ, Mazda, and Mercedes-Benz. The newest car was a 1993 Mercedes-Benz 190 driven by Kristaps Grīnbergs, but the oldes – a 1958 GAZ M 21 driven by Krišjānis Oskerko.
All event results: http://autorally.lv/.
Additional pictures: http://2019.lvrally.com/lat/galerijas/foto/76
News and other information about Rally Liepāja can be found on the official website at www.lvrally.com, as well as on social media Twitter @LVRally, Facebook /LVRally, draugiem.lv /lvrally, YouTube /RallyLiepāja and Instagram /lvrally.
FIA European Rally Championship round Rally Liepāja is possible thanks to the support of the Latvian government, the rally city of Liepāja, as well as the Talsi region. We would also like to thank our sponsors Neste, Ramirent, and SC Grupa, car rental partner Sixt, and our supporters Canon Business Center – IB Serviss, Liepājas Olimpiskais Centrs, Liepājas Speciālās Ekonomiskās Zonas Pārvalde, Pafbet Score, and Swecon. Informative support is provided by news portal DELFI and media partners Go4Speed, JCDecaux Latvija, Kurzemes Vārds, Talsu Vēstis, and Zebra. Rally Liepāja would also not be possible without our rally friends: adGuru, Baltic Taxi, Dardedze, Flora, FN Serviss, Fristads, Jānis Pūce, Latvijas Pārtikas Ražotājs, Lofbergs, Meža Dārzs, Narvesen, Red Bull, Red Sun Buffet, Scan-Plast, SignTech, Sportland, TN Kurzeme, and Törley. Rally Liepāja is realized with support by the regional councils of Aizpute, Durbe, Priekule, Skrunda, and Vaiņode. A special thank you goes out to the Latvian Automobile Federation.
Rally Liepāja is organized by RA EVENTS and Speed Festival Kurzeme.
