The 7bet Rally Lazdijai locomotive is approaching top gear

Preparations for the openers of the Lithuanian Car Rally A League Championship are taking place at full speed, and a few weeks ago, the speed sections and the entire route of “7bet Rally Lazdijai” were already approved by the officials of the Lithuanian Motor Sports Federation. The last dots on the “i” were added in the most important offices of the municipality of Lazdijai district.

Already designing speed tracks

Last year, the A League rally organized for the first time in Lazdijai was unique in that most of the speed sections were completely unfamiliar to the athletes. This year this factor will be less prominent, but by using an old trick – turning the sections in the opposite direction, there will be room to play more seriously again.

However, this does not mean that the organizers of “7bet Rally Lazdijai” made everything so simple. There will be completely new stretches, there will be completely new sections, there will be interesting surprises.

Since the first competition in Lazdijai, Edvinas Vašteris, a well-known speedway architect in the Lithuanian rally scene, has been helping to construct the track.

“The impression is good and the condition of the roads is good, we are already driving like summer. The choice is large, everything is suitable, only now you need to put together the rally program correctly. From what is offered, everything is suitable, but not all sections are suitable for driving twice. It certainly won’t be very fast, although the rally won’t be very slow either. It will be a fun, working rally,” said Edvin Vashter.

The organizers of “7bet Rally Lazdijai” are organizing the fifth non-stop competition in the Lazdijai region. There isn’t a road in the region that hasn’t been tested or listed among possible contenders to become a speedway during this time.

“We have been working with Edvin in this region since the first competition, he knows a lot here. On the other hand, he has endless experience in organizing other rounds of the championship. It’s not for nothing that he adjusts and adds to what I came up with, so I think we will reach a very good version,” said Tadas Zdanavičius, one of the organizers of the competition.

Environmental requirements were also taken into account

True, not everything is simple – the region is characterized by soft soil. Some really good stretches are too soft to ride even once. What’s more, in the spring and early summer in the protected areas of the regional parks, serious love affairs of red-listed sea turtles begin.

“The population of these animals is the largest in Dzūkija, so some, especially technical stretches or their sections had to be abandoned this year as well, because several roads not seen in the program led through wooded territories of turtle nests.

We are already familiar with this factor, therefore, in order not to harm wildlife, we constantly consult with regional park directorates and take into account their recommendations. Be that as it may, a few roads removed from the rally menu will certainly not affect the quality of the competition. When preparing the 2024 “7bet Rally Lazdijai” route, there was really a lot to choose from,” said Ronaldas Rutkauskas, one of the organizers of the competition.

A two-day festival

“7bet Rally Lazdijai 2024” will start on the evening of May 17 from Lazdijai Independence Square. Right here, on the evening of the next day, the entire rally caravan will be met and the three absolute fastest crews will be awarded. By the way, all the action of the rally will be concentrated in Independence Square. An interactive rally arch, podium, and stage will be installed here. The closing party of the rally and the award ceremony will take place here.

12 speed stages will await the crews. 4 on the first day, the remaining 8 on the big day of the rally, Saturday. Among them, the 17-kilometer “Power stage” speed section “7bet-2” is run once. There will be no night shifts. The service area is planned the same as last year – in the territory of AB “Keliu bereža” in Lazdijai.

The rally pass for spectators will cost 15 euros for two days, children under 12 will be admitted for free. The “Powerstage” section will be a gift to the spectators by “7bet” – you will not need tickets to enter this speed section.

Waiting for the fastest crews

In the hands of the organizers of “7bet Rally Lazdijai 2024”, the symbolic fire statuette of the rally is already in the hands of the organizers, which since last year has been traveling from one organizer’s hands to another as a new tradition.

As this year’s “7bet Rally Lazdijai 2024” competition is the first in the season, the fire of the rally was handed over to its organizers by the honorary president of the Lithuanian Motor Sports Federation, Arnas Paliukėnas, and the head of the Rally Committee, Darius Šileikis.

The organizers, who are in the midst of work, do not hide the fact that they hope to see the entire elite of the Lithuanian car rally at this year’s competition. Vaidotas Žala, the absolute winner of last year’s “7bet Rally Lazdijai 2024”, who will not go to all stages of the season this year, also spoke about his intentions to start here. Last year’s Lithuanian rally champion Martynas Samsonas is also interested in the possibility of starting in Lazdijai.

You can find more information about the upcoming “7bet Rally Lazdijai” competitions at www.7betrally.lt and on the Facebook page of the organizers.

15min.lt