Tackle the latest rally on the WRC calendar with our official guide
The Tet Rally Latvia will make its debut on the WRC calendar in 2024.
Below you’ll get tips on how to set fast stage times from our in-house professional driver and game designer, Jon Armstrong.
Location overview
Similar to Estonia and Poland, Latvia is a fast rally on gravel and largely flat roads.
However, there are fewer bumps and jumps in Latvia, and you can really accelerate on the flatter and wider roads.
You can get everything out of your car on the long straights before you have to slow down again in front of narrow chicanes.
Tip 1: Stay away from ditches and woodpiles
Latvia’s roads may be wide and smooth, but various obstacles along the way can prove tricky if you’re not prepared.
Many sections are lined with deep ditches that you should be careful of when driving.
Don’t get too close to the side of the road, otherwise your car could swerve and spin if you’re momentarily inattentive.
There are also numerous piles of wood on the inside and outside of curves. These affect your corner entry and exit.
Tip 2: Be prepared for the harassment
You reach incredible speeds on Latvia’s long straights, but many of them are mitigated by tight chicanes for the safety of drivers and spectators.
You should actually see it before your passenger announces it, but as soon as you hear his instruction, you have to brake quickly.
Your passenger will also tell you whether you have to enter a chicane from the left or right.
In chicanes, brake to 2nd gear and concentrate on a clean exit. You will gain more time if you brake early and optimally exit into the next long straight instead of braking late to maximize your entry speed.
Tip 3: Adjust your shifting behavior and tighten the car
On the long straights that demand everything from your car, the standard gear ratios are sometimes a little too short, causing the car to reach its top speed too early.
You can therefore see the translation in the menu Vehicle Setup > Tuning > Gears Adjust in the service area before the start of the race.
Move the setting Achsantrieb To the right. The goal is for your car to reach its maximum RPM just before braking into a chicane, as this will maximize your top speed.
The stages in Latvia are also characterized by relatively flat terrain and wide roads. So you can drive with a slightly firmer suspension because you won’t have too many bumps and jumps.
You can change your configuration via Vehicle Setup > Tuning > Change Springs. If you Federrate and Stabilizer Shifting it to the right makes the car tighter and more responsive. For the same reason, you might also consider the Ground clearance to reduce something.
Tip 4: Think about curves you can’t see
Since the stages in Latvia are relatively flat, there are not many reference points to help you approach corners.
There are fewer trees than in Poland, Estonia or Finland that you would normally use as a reference for braking and steering maneuvers.
This increases the importance of your passenger, so listen particularly carefully during high-speed sections.
Tip 5: Analyze your performance on EA Racenet
EA Racenet, our official companion site, offers various tools and features to help you EA SPORTS™ WRC experience yet can do better.
A particularly useful feature is our analysis tool. This allows you to compare your best performance in time trials with friends, rivals and the fastest riders in the game.
You can see the ghost car and the lines you took in the corners of a stage, and you can also compare your use of gas, brake and handbrake with other players.
This is a good way to analyze where you are losing time and potentially making up ground on your next rally.
Tip 6: Gain experience
As with all rallies, speed in Latvia is a question of experience.
The stages may seem difficult the first time, but once you know what to look out for, you’ll improve quickly.
Time Trials are a great way to gain experience because you can easily restart stages to complete a perfect race.
Combined with the Racenet analysis and the other tips in this guide, you will quickly get to the podium.
With today’s tips you’ll be well on your way to finishing on the podium at the Rally Latvia, so get out on the track with you.
For more rally tips, check out our ultimate guide for newbies. If you want to master another location, check out our guide to Poland.
