Aivis Egle – again behind the wheel of a rally car.
For the sixth year Rally Talsi is being recognized as the Rally of Champions, and this year also will not exclude fights of champions at Talsi. Fight for the Champions Challenge Cup will commence on Saturday, 17 May, at 15:45, when the start for the opening special stage SS1 LAKALME will be given. 2013 Latvian rally champion Aivis Egle (PROSPEED) having hung his pilot boots on the peg before the season, could not miss the chance to participate in the Rally of Champions, deciding in favour of exception and defend the honour of Latvia trying to leave the Champions Cup in Latvia and competing against three foreign champions. Lithuanian rally champion Ramūnas Čapkauskas (CAPKAUSKAS RACING) and Belarusian rally champion Vytautas Švedas (JUTA Racing) will also participate in the fights of champions.

Kuwait – Latvia.
Kuwait rally champion Salah Bin Eidan will also fight for the Champions Challenge Cup. In contradistinction to Latvia, in Kuwait rally season takes place from November until March, and participant of Rally Talsi is not a champion of the previous, but the ongoing season. Salah Bin Eidan will use the race in Talsi as a training platform in order to gain experience and prepare for the upcoming participation in the rounds of FIA World Rally Championship (WRC). If the Champions Cup will be won by Salah Bin Eidan, the Champions Challenge Cup will become a cup with a name of direct meaning, because in such a case it will be moved for a year to another continent at the distance of 4986 km from Talsi.

Man-made jump ramp in the special stage of town.
The last two special stages of the opening day of Rally Talsi are projected in the town of Talsi. Super special stage SSS5/6 TALSI CITY SPECIAL will start at 19:55, and after a few years of idle standing this stage will include also a man-made jump ramp. This will mean additional complication for the racers, meanwhile the spectators will witness several exciting and unforgettable jumps.

Jump at Sukturi. Just the opposite direction.
The final and simultaneously the longest special stage of Rally Talsi SS11 NESTE FUTURA will start on Sunday, 18 May at 15:45. For four years this special stage was run in the same way, but now the racers and spectators will face new impressions, because the special stage with 24,76 km distance frequently sealing fate of winners will have to be run in opposite direction than usual. Special award prepared by Neste Oil – EUR 100 fuel card to the crew with the best time of this special stage – will serve as additional motivation.

Historical Youngtimer and Historic cars
On the opening day of Rally Talsi, 17 May, the spectators will have opportunity to travel also in time. Approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes before the rally cars there will also be opportunity to see in the historical cars in the special stages participating in the regularity race within Rally Talsi. Cars as Opel Manta, Saab 96, Porsche 944 and BMW 2002ti will be on display among the participants of the historical crews. VAZ, GAZ and other crews, nearly 30 in total, will be on display.

Haralds Šlēgelmilhs and Artūrs Pumpurs together with RH3 Fonds donates for charity. Haralds Šlēgelmilhs and Artūrs Pumpurs together with RH3 Fonds will try to raise attention of whole society to oncologic diseases of children. The racers will participate in Rally Talsi with car painted in RH3 Fonds colours and with the RH3 Fonds donation phone number +371 90006387 displayed on the side. Each call to this number will raise EUR 1.42 and all the donations in full will be used to pay for the rehabilitation procedures in the National rehabilitation centre Vaivari.

Rally Talsi. No way without Strazde.
One of the golden fund special stages of Latvian rally located at Strazde has been included also in the programme of Rally Talsi 2014. This year Strazde jump ever so popular among spectators will throw again. The special stage SS8 NISSAN NORDE projected at Strazde has been foreseen at 10:55 and would allow the spectators to assess the racers efforts to overcome the gravity rules and make the longest jump. Special motivation and inspiration for breathtaking jumps will be provided by Nissan Norde to be assigning special award to the crew having made the most spectacular jump.

Teamwork for organization of Rally Talsi.
Seizing the opportunity the organizers of Rally Talsi would like to thank all the supporters, without whose careful hands the rally would not definitely be such as it is planned this year. Many thanks to Talsi municipality for comfortable hospitality to the friends of rally. Thanks to the sponsors Neste Oil, ecoRent.lv and Talce-SC Grupa, as well as the official car provided by Nissan Norde. Thanks to the supporters La Kalme, Ramirent, AlfaSLS, Canon IB Serviss, Krauzers and Rudus. Thanks to the official news portal Delfi and media partners Talsu Vēstis, TopGear Latvija, Ātruma Cilts, Go4Speed, TV6 and StarFM. Thanks to RMS Group for security, Guard Systems for the GPS tracking devices, Torley champagne sprays, RedBull for the energy, Dardedze Hologrāfija for the printing works, FN Serviss for fire security, Talsu Centrs for notification of the residents of Talsi and Karcher for clean cars. The greatest thanks to all of you, who are not on the list, but who know that Rally Talsi would not be Your Rally Talsi without your assistance.

It must be noted that the fourth round of Latvian Rally Championship and the second round of the Lithuanian Rally Championship Rally Talsi will take place on 17 and 18 May at Talsi. Opening ceremony of the rally by Talsi Folk House is foreseen at 12:30 – when historical cars will start the rally followed by the official speeches at 14:00. The start of the first car from the podium is planned at 14:30, whereas first special stage of the opening day will start at 15:45. During the day racers will have six special stages to run with the total distance of 32.64 km. Meanwhile, the second day of rally on Sunday, 18 May, will start at 10:00 with the first special stage SS7 DELFI. On Sunday the racers will have five special stages to run with the total distance of 74.97km, and after these special stages approximately at 17:30 an awarding ceremony of the winners of the rally will be held by Talsi Folk House.

Rally Talsi programme:

FRIDAY, 16 MAY>
18:00-21:00 Shakedown

SATURDAY, 17 MAY>
Opening ceremony event – by Talsi Folk House
12:30 Start of the historical Youngtimer and Historic motor vehicles
14:00 Ceremonial start, official speeches
14:30 Starp of the first rally car
15:45 SS1 LAKALME 1
16:00 SS2 LAKALME 2
18:10 SS3 ECORENT.LV 1
18:23 SS4 ECORENT.LV 2
19:55 SS5 TALSI CITY SPECIAL 1 – super special stage
20:14 SS6 TALSI CITY SPECIAL 2 – super special stage
from 22:00 Party at the club Cherry together with top DJ of Latvia DJ [Ex] Da Bass and MBerg
> during the whole day, start of the historical Youngtimer and Historic vehicles approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes before the rally cars

SUNDAY, 18 MAY>
10:00 SS7 DELFI
10:55 SS8 NISSAN NORDE
12:45 SS9 TORLEY
13:40 SS10 TALCE-SC GRUPA
15:45 SS11 NESTE FUTURA
16:30 Finish of the first car by Talsi Folk House
17:30 Awarding ceremony by Talsi Folk House

Jānis Unbedahts,RA EVENTS. Photo: Raimonds Volonts; Aigars Tīdmanis, go4speed.lv