It has already been reported that the Latvian driver Reinis Nitišs took the fifth place in the semi-final of the Biķernieki track in the SuperCar class at the Rallycross World Championship on Saturday, but showed the 11th fastest time in the overall rating.
“It is never easy to return to the top after a break, especially knowing what the SuperCar class is,” said Nitišs after the fifth stage. “There was a last minute opportunity to participate in the Riga stage with the support of the EU Motorsport team, so there were no two thoughts and I immediately said ‘yes’. It’s not easy, but it seems to me that today we did everything we could.”
Nitišs was ready to demonstrate a higher performance on the track on Saturday, however, almost after each qualifying race, the Škoda Fabia EVO RX was hit by an unexpected technical problem. During his rallycross career, the resident of Jēkabpils drove Renault, Seat, Audi and Ford vehicles, but the Škoda tested on Saturday is neither the best nor the worst of all of the above.
Also, the athlete did not hide that the team is aware of how fast the car is in the background of competitors, so the 11th place is not bad at all.
“Yes, there were problems, but we have to be realistic, we don’t have the speed on the track,” the pilot lists the most significant shortcomings. “It’s hard to say if I can’t drive this car or if it can’t live with me … I think I did quite a lot and well. Basically – everything I could.”
“It should also be noted that the car has not been a” full-time championship car “for the last three years and has not been driven this year. The car has also been modified, but I only spent a day and a half in training with it. , so it can be said that we experienced a full “mix”. “
Fearless duel and intransigence are often seen in the stages of the rallycross with the participation of Nitis. The athlete also reminded about these qualities on Saturday, but this time the skills acquired during the rally also came to the rescue. In January, the athlete announced that he would start in the Latvian and Estonian rallies, so that he could make his full debut in the world rally championship for juniors next year.
“I think the rally and also the experience with the buggy in rallycross definitely helped. The rally is what makes you react quickly and avoid situations. The same was in the semi-finals, when you had the option to get on the back or side, or release the accelerator and look more promising. option, “the athlete tells about the rich experience. “I think every ride gives something, but in a rallycross, the car is definitely the most important thing.”
This season, the program of rallycross stages follows an unprecedented schedule. Due to the prevalence of Covid-19, training, qualification and also decisive races take place in one day, not two. It is possible that one of the athletes “old schedule” was more pleasant, but Nitišs does not object to do everything in one day.
“It seems to me that psychologically it’s even easier.” Bams! “, And in the evening everything ends,” smiles, says Nitišs. “Before that – run a qualifying race and cook something, wait. Start thinking about whether you need to change something, do something different – steal energy for yourself.”
“This is a very good format, the spectators also have more to see. In the morning everything starts and in the evening it is the end result. Of course I like it, but the workload for the team mechanics is much higher.”
On Sunday, Nitišs will probably manage to rise above the 11th place in the overall standings and the semi-final race, because together with the team, the experience of the track will be discussed. The motorsport representative revealed that the team is aware of what they liked and did not like in the specific curves.
There has also been a change of opinion about the “Projekt E” class, which was not really surprising in Sweden, but thanks to Jānis Baumanis and Siril Reimons, the electric car race was more enjoyable on Saturday.
“It is a pleasure that Jānis and Siril Reimons fought for a hundredth of a second on the track today. Of course, the third fourth place was several seconds away, but it is our future, like it or not,” says the athlete, who will be in the “Projekt E” class in the future. not refused. “Be prepared, just tell me where and when.”
It has already been reported that Baumanis made his debut in the “Projekt E” or electric car class on Saturday at the World Rallycross Championship on Biķernieki track. Baumanis won in the first of the four qualifications and scored 50 points in the qualification, ahead of Siril Reimon and Natalia Barat, but in the second after Reimon he finished second.
The competition in the “Projekt E” class will continue on Sunday. Meanwhile, the sixth stage of the “SuperCar” class will be completed.
On Saturday, the winner of the “SuperCar” class final was won by Juhans Kristofešsons, who already had the 16th victory on the Biķernieki track, including qualifying races. Matthias Ekstrem finished second, Timm Hansen third, Kevin Hansen, Nicholas Grenholm and Robin Larson.
Kristofesson is in the lead after five stages with 140 points, followed by Ekström with 119 points, but Grenholm has saved 20 points less. Nitišs with eight points can be found in the 19th position among 23 riders.
One stage of the International Rallycross Championship of the International Automobile Federation (FIA) in the “Supercar” class and one stage of the “Projekt E” cup for electric cars are taking place in Riga. That is why the FIA European Rallycross Championship stage for front-wheel drive “Super1600” cars does not take place on Biķernieki track this year.
Until now, Baumanis had participated in all stages of the Riga Rallycross World Championship for four years, but this year the supporters of the athlete were not able to provide the necessary support in the conditions created by the Covid-19 pandemic. Baumanis has not participated in any of the rallycross stages this season.
Also, for the first time in the world rallycross championship, Nitišs can be seen on the track this year, who decided to focus on rally discipline after last season.
Last year, to the delight of domestic spectators, two Latvian pilots started the competition again after a year break, who had a reasonable chance to win a place on the podium. In the competition in changing weather conditions, the best performance was demonstrated and the victory was won by the Swedish pilot Timijs Hansen, who later became the world champion, but the two Latvians ended the stage with a fight in the semi-finals, which reached fourth and sixth place respectively Nitišs and Baumanis.
After the Latvian stages, stages in Spain, Belgium and Germany are planned to continue the season. Before the Belgian stage, one of the races had to take place in Portugal, but due to the pandemic caused by Covid-19, the stage was canceled.
