Automated translation by Gemini AI.
At the end of last year, the calendars for the upcoming season of the Latvian Rally Championship and the Latvian Rallysprint Cup were published. This year, the rallysprint calendar will feature one new round – Rallysprint Cesvaine.
Foto: Dace Spalviņa
"As I said before, this year's Minirally Cesvaine, which made its debut, was organized at a very high level. The feedback from the competitors was excellent. This year's event was also attended by a LAF observer to determine whether the organizers could be granted permission to host a rallysprint next year. As far as I know, the feedback was positive, with just a few nuances related to the minirally. Ultimately, however, they were given the green light to organize Rallysprint Cesvaine in 2026," Kaspars Šimkus, head of the LAF SAK council, told the portal following the approval of the calendar, which will be announced in the coming days.
Asked about the minirally round in the Cesvaine area, Šimkus added: "I can reveal that with their work this year, the organizers of the Cesvaine minirally earned the opportunity to host not only a rallysprint next year but also a minirally. These will be two separate events taking place in different months. As far as I know, next year the rallysprint drivers will tackle this year's Cesvaine minirally stages, while the minirally will move to different roads."
Looking back at this year's Minirally Cesvaine, the organizers' representative Ingus Ķimelis revealed to the portal: "From our side, I can say that everything we planned was a success. Yes, there were small nuances that can and should be improved in the future, but overall, everything was fine. We are glad that both the local residents and regional officials were very happy that something like this is finally happening in our municipality. It was a pleasure to hear good feedback from spectators, minirally drivers, and other experienced competitors who enjoyed the special stages and the chosen roads. To be honest, we were also surprised that everything went so well and that everyone was so supportive."
Foto: Dace Janova
Even before the debut, Ingus told the portal that their goal wasn't just to put on a minirally, as their plans are bigger. "As I told you before this year's Minirally Cesvaine, our ultimate goal was to earn the opportunity to host a rallysprint afterward, and we are thrilled that this opportunity has been granted following this year's event."
Coordinating and organizing such an event would be difficult without the support of the Madona Regional Council. Ķimelis notes that in their case, the municipality has been very accommodating and supportive of hosting such events. "Right now, we have sent the financial reports for this year's minirally to the Madona Council, but on a positive note, the Madona Regional Council is already showing interest in our plans for next year. Presentations for next year's events are yet to follow, but we are glad they trust us and appreciate our work. The Chairman of the Regional Council, Agris Lungevičs, already told us at this year's awards ceremony that we need to move forward and repeat such an event, so it's pleasant to feel this kind of 'pressure' coming from the local government. Often it's the other way around, but in our case, it is a true pleasure to collaborate with the Madona Regional Council to work on bringing top-level motorsport competitions back to our region."
Foto: Dace Spalviņa
Concluding the conversation, Ingus revealed that they will organize two different events next year. "Yes, I can reveal that next year we will host both a minirally and a rallysprint. Both events will take place at different times and in different towns. The rallysprint will use the same roads (along with other interesting ones) where this year's minirally took place, while the minirally competitors will head towards the Ērgļi area. I believe that after this year's baptism of fire, next year will be easier, though there will still be plenty of work. So we are glad to be following our set plan—maximizing the use of our region's roads so that, if everything goes well, we can organize a full-scale rally in 2027 on these roads tested over the two years. We are actively working towards that. We want to thoroughly test everything next year so we can realize it all in a major rally in 2027."
When asked if the special stages are already known, Ķimelis added: "Next year's stages are already down on paper, so now it's just a matter of coordinating them with the residents and the local government. We even have a four or five-year plan mapped out for which stages could be run (laughs). Right from the start, we had clear goals of what we wanted to achieve, and that makes it easy for us to work together, because the targets we want to reach are clear."