A total of ten crews will start with full-fledged Rally1 HYBRID cars, including, in the presence of local spectators, Mārtiņš Sesks / Renārs Francis from Liepāja. Another 24 crews, led by Oliver Solberg, will start with the Rally2 cars well-known during the FIA European Rally Championship held in Latvia for many years – with which we will see the crews of two more Latvian pilots – Matīs Mežak and Arturas Priednieks – at Tet Rally Latvia.
For the first time in the 2024 season, the WRC’s top-class representation will reach 10 crews, among which will be all three active World Rally Champions. The Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Team will have the richest line-up with championship titles, which will include the latest French rally legend, eight-time world champion, Sébastien Ogier. Also, the Toyota team will include Kalle Rovanpera, the world champion of the last two years – the Finn started his career directly in Latvia, becoming the Latvian champion twice. British Elphin Evans and Japanese Takamoto Katsuta will also compete in the Toyota Yaris GR Rally1 HYBRID car.
As part of the Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team, the overall leader of the 2024 FIA World Rally Championship season, Belgian Thierry Neuville, as well as another world champion, Estonian Ots Tanak, who remained undefeated in the WRC 2019 season, will start in the Hyundai i20 N Rally1 HYBRID car. Finland’s Esapeka Lapi, who works together with Latvian racing engineer Arturas Ozoliņas and won the Sweden rally held in the winter, will also join the Hyundai team for the competition in Latvia. It should be mentioned that Lapi also won the FIA European Rally Championship in Rally Liepāja during his career.
After the debut stage in Poland, the Latvian crew Mārtiņš Sesks / Renārs Francis will be able to enjoy a full-fledged WRC stage with a hybrid drive car, who will start with the Ford Puma Rally1 HYBRID car prepared by the M-Sport Ford World Rally Team team. Also, the British team will be represented by its core drivers – Frenchman Adrien Formo and Luxembourgian Gregoire Munster.
An exciting fight for the Tet Rally Latvia victory is also predicted by the composition of the WRC2 participants, where one of the leaders will definitely be Oliver Solberg, who, like Rovanpera, started his career in Latvia – growing from front-wheel drive cars to the highest WRC level. Solberg’s main rivals include Finn Sami Pajari, who is due to make his debut behind the wheel of a Rally1 car, and former Rally1 driver Gus Greensmith.
In addition to the Seska / Frančas crew in the leading test class, Tet Rally Latvia will be represented by two more Latvian crews. Matīss Mežaks / Arnis Ronis will take part in the WRC2 competition with the Škoda Fabia Evo Rally2, while Arturs Priednieks / Jānis Kirkovalds will take part in the Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 car.
It should be mentioned that the participants of Tet Rally Latvia are not assigned starting number 42, in memory of the prematurely deceased Irish rally driver Craig Breen, who in 2015 won the ERC stage of Rally Liepāja.
“Ten Rally1 cars, among which will be seen the crew of all three active world champions and Mārtiņš Seskas from Liepāja. I don’t know if we could imagine an even better scenario for our debut competition,” begins Raimonds Strokšs, director of Tet Rally Latvia. “These ten will be joined by a very wide range of skilled Rally2 crews, who will allow the spectators to fully enjoy the magic of the World Rally Championship. Rally spectators will be able to appreciate the most powerful world-class equipment with the world’s fastest rally pilots at the wheel, both on the Biķernieki track, in the regions of Tukum, Talsi, Kuldīga and Southern Kurzeme, and in the rally city Liepāja. And alongside the world’s leading rally crews – also three Latvian pilot crews!” so Raimonds Strokhs.
“We and Tet Rally Latvia are united by energy, the ability to create and realize ideas, as well as not to give up in the process. Together with the right partners, we can create world-class solutions, technologies and also events, which is proven by the stage of the FIA World Rally Championship in Latvia. This can only be achieved by devoting your whole heart to the cause. Thanks to Tet Rally Latvia director Raimonds Strokš and his team for allowing us to experience such a world-class event in Latvia, which is a historic event in Latvian sports. Together, we prove with our works that Latvia can! Therefore, I invite everyone to take advantage of the opportunity and watch in person the world’s most masterful rally drivers fight for victory, experiencing powerful emotions together with other supporters on the sides of dirt roads, as well as on city streets, both in Riga and throughout Kurzeme!” Uldis Tatarchuk, Chief Executive Officer of Tet.
The FIA World Rally Championship stage Tet Rally Latvia will take place on 18-21 2024. in July,
2024-06-25 10:35:14
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