This will be the third time when the well-known formula and touring car driver Haralds Šlēgelmilhs, together with his co-driver Artūrs Pumpurs, take part in Rally Talsi. In their first attempt (and rally debut) in 2013, piloting a Škoda Fabia S2000 car, only a mistake on the very last stage prevented them from finishing. Last year, they competed in a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X and did manage to reach the finish in eleventh place overall (and fifth in the N4 class).

“For me, this spring is one of the more intense ones in the last few years. I am competing in numerous races myself, leading driver training, working in the 333 sports complex and taking part in multiple public projects. Still, together with Artūrs Pumpurs, we easily reached the decision to take part in Rally Talsi and pause all the other work for this one weekend,” says Haralds Šlēgelmilhs.

“I am extremely happy to return to Talsi for the third year in a row to take part in a rally – the four day event brings so much joy that I didn’t even consider not taking part. This year, there is a bit less time to get ready, but we have a bit of experience from the last two events, which helps,” Artūrs Pumpurs is happy to be back in a rally car. “We will use all our knowledge from the past events, Harald’s refreshed skills in touring cars this season and my improved pacenote writing skills, and aim to reach the top six in the rally!”

“Each year I try to find a new message and motive for taking part in Rally Talsi. For this year, with the 100 year celebration of Latvia approaching, I have joined a new project – “1836”, in which we try to promote travel within Latvia!”

“We have river valleys, scallop shell beaches, pine forests and golden ear fields. We have great oaks, ancient valleys, mythical knolls and caves. And we have the smiles and life stories of the people we meet on the way. We are very rich in the sense that we already have the most beautiful and valuable things. All you need to do is go outside, take a deep breath and appreciate everything… For this reason, our car will bear an “1836”” livery, inviting all Latvians, especially the younger generation, to travel around Latvia, instead of going far away abroad!” Haralds invites to discover Latvia.

The ultimate goal of fund “1836” is to promote active lifestyle and create a trail around Latvia, therefore jump starting the development of rural areas. It also strives to create infrastructure for travelling, in the form of places to stay and eat at, as well as to promote the physical, emotional and mental well-being of Latvians. “The Latvian border is 1836 km long, which is the reason why the name is “1836”. It also has a symbolic and practical meaning: Latvia was established in (19)18, with 18 symbolizing coming of age, maturity, independence and daring, and this trail will be split into 100 (as it will be the 100 year celebration) sections of 18.36 km each, so that everyone can either walk the distance of one section in a day or do two of them on a bicycle.

During Rally Talsi, an informative tent will be set up for the fund, located in the Talsi city square. There, everyone will be more than welcome to learn about the objectives of this fund, as well as find out more about travelling around Latvia. I sincerely hope that we will be able to encourage Latvians and that we will soon hear that someone has gone around the whole country, all 1836 km!” “1836” team leader Enriko Plivčs is very enthusiastic about the idea of fund.

rallytalsi.lv Photo: Go4Speed.lv