

2024.08.07 Hyundai Motorsport Team
Latvia Rally
makes its debut on the WRC calendar, becoming the 38th country to host a WRC
event as it alternates with neighboring Estonia. Although a new name in the WRC
scene, Latvia Rally has its roots in the Rally Liepāja, which began in 2013,
making it a relatively young rally. After gaining independence from the Soviet
Union in 1991, Latvia has now chosen to host its second major international
motorsports event following the Motorcycle Grand Prix. Originally, Rally
Liepāja was a winter snow rally and part of the European Rally Championship
(ERC), showcasing the country's enthusiasm and potential in rally sports.
Since 2016, the
event has shifted from its original autumn schedule to become a high-speed
gravel rally, contrasting Sweden’s shift from a summer to a snow rally. The
high-speed gravel stages in western Latvia have been highly praised by both
spectators and participants. Initially held in the Riga region, the rally
expanded to cover a larger area as it grew in popularity, culminating in its
inclusion in the WRC this year.
Latvia holds a
special place in the hearts of rally fans for another reason: it served as the
debut stage for rising stars like defending champion Kalle Rovanperä and Oliver
Solberg. Unlike neighboring countries, Latvia allows drivers to obtain a
competition license without a driving license. Rovanperä, for instance, debuted
at just 14 years old and became the Latvia Rally champion at 16.
The hallmark of
Latvia Rally lies in its high-speed stages with rapidly changing grip levels.
The combination of sharp corners and consecutive jumps over small ridges
creates an exciting and dynamic spectacle. Due to its status as a relatively
new rally, few drivers have extensive experience on these stages. Veteran
drivers might have only raced here during the earlier snow rally iterations.
One such veteran is Esapekka Lappi from the Hyundai team, who won the Rally
Liepāja during its snow rally era in 2014. On the other hand, Martins Sesks of
M-Sport Ford, who made headlines with his debut in Poland, is coming off two consecutive
wins in recent competitions. Additionally, WRC2 driver Nikolay Gryazin has won
the Rally Liepāja three times (2017, 2018, 2021), while Oliver Solberg claimed
victories in 2019 and 2020.
The upcoming
Latvia Rally will feature a total of 10 Rally1 cars, along with 24 entries in
the WRC2 class and 4 in the WRC3 class. Hyundai's team will be headlined by
their top drivers Thierry Neuville and Ott Tänak, with Esapekka Lappi making a
return after some time away from the sport. Currently leading the Drivers'
Championship, Neuville managed to maintain his position despite finishing 4th
in Poland. His efforts on the final day allowed him to fend off Elfyn Evans,
who is now trailing by just 3 points. However, the high-speed gravel rallies in
Poland, Latvia, and Finland are seen as significant challenges for Neuville's
quest for the championship title. To prepare, Neuville planned to participate
in the Lietuva Rally in Lithuania, which has similar conditions, a week before
Latvia Rally. Unfortunately, those plans were scrapped when Tänak's car was
heavily damaged in a rollover accident during the first week of July at the
Estonia Rally.
After an
unexpected collision with a deer in Poland, Ott Tänak's streak of bad luck
continued with an incident in Estonia. Fortunately, both he and his co-driver,
Martin Järveoja, emerged unscathed, allowing them to remain in the entry list
for the Latvia Rally. Meanwhile, Lappi, in his third outing of the season,
faces significant challenges due to limited adaptation time with the rally car.
Despite Thierry Neuville opting out, Lappi participated in the Lithuania Rally
to hone his skills. Hyundai, known for its weaknesses on high-speed gravel,
hopes the Finnish driver can secure a podium finish on such terrain.
Toyota, trailing Hyundai in both driver and team points, deployed a full force of four Rally1 cars for a comprehensive effort. Regular season drivers Elfyn Evans and Takamoto Katsuta were joined by former champions Kalle Rovanperä and Sébastien Ogier. Rovanperä is the strong favorite for this rally, given his expertise on high-speed gravel and his familiarity with the Latvian terrain, which he has driven on since his youth.
M-Sport Ford also entered three Rally1 cars. Alongside Adrien Fourmaux and Grégoire Munster, they enlisted Mārtiņš Sesks again. Despite driving a Rally1 car without a hybrid unit in his debut in Poland, Sesks impressed everyone by finishing fifth. As a native of Latvia, Sesks is now expected to perform even better in his hometown of Liepāja with a fully equipped hybrid version of the car.
On Thursday
morning, July 18, the shakedown test began on a 3.58km stage near Liepāja.
Afterward, participants moved to the capital city of Riga in central Latvia to
start the competition on SSS1 Biķernieki. This 11.31km stage, which combines a
rallycross track with nearby roads and forest trails, featured a high
proportion of paved surfaces but required an off-road setup. Rovanperä took the
top time, with Neuville close behind. Meanwhile, Lappi, running on hard tires,
struggled with grip and ended up 10 seconds behind the leader.
On Friday, July
19, the rally covered a total of 120.92km across seven stages, beginning with
the 4.99km Milzkalne, followed by the longest stage of the event, the 27.56km
Tukums, and the 17.86km Andumi, repeated both in the morning and afternoon,
concluding with the 20.52km Talsi. As the points leader, Neuville once again
had the unenviable task of sweeping the stages first. "It's quite
slippery, quite dusty. Some corners on the exit was very slippery. My pace
notes were a little bit slow in the beginning, so I sped up my rhythm. Not the
perfect stage but ok,” said Neuville. Rovanperä maintained his overall lead by
setting the top time on SS2, while Ogier, Sesks, and Tänak battled for second
place.
Rising star
Sesks was the fastest on SS3, marking his first WRC stage win in his debut
hybrid rally car. He continued his momentum by winning SS4 as well, generating
excitement on his home ground. Many drivers, including those from Hyundai,
suffered from low grip conditions.
In the
afternoon, Ogier and Rovanperä shared the top times. Rovanperä remained in the
lead, but surprisingly, Sesks finished Friday in second place overall, just
15.7 seconds behind. Ogier and Katsuta followed, with Fourmaux in fifth. Tänak
and Evans were in sixth and seventh, respectively, with Munster, Neuville, and
Lappi rounding out the top ten. Tänak’s brake issues caused him to drop two
places from his initial fourth position.
Saturday, July
20, featured eight stages over a total of 104km, starting with the 18.87km SS9
Pilskalns and concluding with a 2.56km super special stage in downtown Liepāja.
Except for SS12 and SS14 in Vecpils, all stages were different, presenting a
nightmare for Neuville, who had to sweep the roads clean.
Only Rovanperä
and Munster carried two spare tires, while the rest had one, all equipped with
soft tires. Ogier, Sesks, and Evans opted for hard spares. Lappi led the way,
followed by Neuville, Munster, and Evans. Rovanperä set the top time in the
opening two stages, maintaining his overall lead. Tänak claimed SS11, eyeing a
podium finish, while Ogier overtook Sesks for second place, with only a
0.2-second difference between them.
Rovanperä
extended his lead by winning SS12, SS13, SS14, and SS16. Tänak closed the gap
with Sesks to six seconds but faced a near-miss in SS14 when an inflatable arch
structure collapsed onto the course after being hit by Evans, causing a
temporary race halt. The race control assigned Tänak a virtual time for the
stage, preventing a repeat of the nightmare he experienced in Poland. Tänak and
Hyundai's team principal, Cyril Abiteboul, criticized the race control for not
immediately canceling the stage for safety reasons.
Despite the
scare in SS14, Tänak hit a hay bale in SS16, increasing his gap with Sesks to
20.8 seconds. "On the jump landing, a driveshaft or gearbox or something
broke. I couldn't slow down at all. It has been awesome afternoon,” he
explained. At the end of Saturday, Rovanperä remained the overall leader, with
Ogier in second, 4.7 seconds ahead of Sesks. Tänak held onto fourth despite his
late mistake, with Fourmaux, Evans, and Katsuta following. Neuville and Lappi
were eighth and ninth, with Munster in tenth. In WRC2, Solberg led, followed by
Heikkilä and Pajari.
On Sunday, July
21, the final showdown began with SS17 Krogzemji, a stage 18.7 km in length,
followed by the 13.34 km stage Mazilmāja, both of which were run twice.
Following Munster, who drove the first stage, Lappi had this to say: "We
were really hoping the humidity would've stayed that was there this morning, it
has all disappeared. The grip is really poor, in many corners I gave everything
we had. We tried."
Ogier claimed
the opening stage on Sunday, followed by Rovanperä in second and Tänak in
third. In SS18, Tänak secured the top time, reducing the gap with third-place
Sesks to 13.7 seconds. In an interview after the stage, Tänak expressed his
frustration: "This whole rally we haven't been able to find a good
rhythm. I try my best, I push hard. The flow is missing, that's all."
Tänak kept his
podium hopes alive by clocking the fastest time again in SS19, closing the gap
with Sesks to 4.6 seconds. Sesks, feeling the pressure of the close chase, lost
time after missing a turn at an intersection.
Only the final
Power Stage, SS20, remained. Reports indicated light rain before the race.
Lappi faced disappointment as his engine kept stalling during his run, while
Tänak recorded the fastest time, securing third place on the podium. Sesks,
struggling with car issues, fell to seventh in the final stage. Rovanperä
claimed victory, with Ogier in second and Tänak in third, salvaging Hyundai's
standing. Following were Fourmaux, Evans, Katsuta, and Sesks, with Neuville and
Lappi, who struggled throughout the race, finishing eighth and ninth.
The second gravel race of the high-speed gravel triple-header proved challenging from the start. Despite the difficulties, Neuville and the Hyundai team maintained their lead in the championship points. Tänak's accumulation of Super Sunday and Power Stage points allowed him to overtake Evans and reclaim second place in the championship, trailing leader Neuville by just 8 points. In the manufacturer points, Toyota's substantial score brought them within 1 point of Hyundai. In WRC2, Solberg claimed victory, followed by Heikkilä, Mäkinen, and Pajari.
The ninth round
will be held in Finland from August 1 to 4. Known for its relentless jumps and
high-speed runs, Finland is Toyota’s home ground. However, Hyundai's Tänak
holds the record for the most wins (three) among active drivers.
By Su-jin Lee
In 1991, Su-jin Lee’s passion for cars led him to enthusiastically write letters to the newly launched Korean car magazine Car Vision. This unexpected connection led him to start his career as an automotive journalist. He has served as editor and editorial board member for Car Visionand Automobile Life, and now works as an automotive critic. While eagerly covering the latest trends like electric vehicles, connected cars, and autonomous driving technology, he is also a car enthusiast who secretly hopes that the smell of gasoline engines will never disappear.
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