LATVIANS READY FOR PUSH ON DAY TWO OF NESTE WORLD RX OF LATVIA

RĪGA, LATVIA
14/09/2019

On Saturday, the penultimate round of the 2019 FIA World Rallycross Championship, Neste World RX of Latvia, began in CSDD Biķernieki Circuit. Three Latvian drivers – Jānis Baumanis, Reinis Nitišs, and Jānis Vēģeris – took their place on the starting grid against the best rallycross drivers on the planet. After a difficult Q1, the result in Q2 gave the local drivers hope of finishing the event on a high note Sunday.

GC Kompetition driver Rokas Baciuska had a fantastic day one. A victory in Q1 and fourth place in Q2 put him in the lead after Saturday’s heats. Niclas Gronholm from GRX Taneco was quickest in Q2, which moved him up to second place overall, ahead of another GC Kompetition driver Anton Marklund. Timmy Hansen, one of the title favourites, had an unlucky day, getting into an accident in Q2 and concluding day one in fifteenth position, while his main rivals Andreas Bakkerud and Kevin Hansen are fourth and fifth, respectively.

The very first race of Q1 started off with drama, when Timur Timerzyanov rolled his car right in front of Reinis Nitišs. Reinis then got stuck behind Guillome De Rider and was just fifteenth overall in Q1. With that, Nitišs had to start from the outside in his Q2 race. After a good start,he moved into second place. Wasting no time, he opted for an early Joker lap. After a great final lap, Nitišs managed to be just quick enough to cross the finish line in first place, which was good enough for eighth place in Q2. He is tenth overall after day one.

Reinis Nitišs: “Timur Timerzyanov rolled his car in Q1 and I had to get around him which cost me a lot of time. After that, there was no place where I could get by Guillome De Rider. We did everything possible to do our own heat – I did not interfere with anyone and was not troubled by anyone, but Guillome was right there in front of me. This is rallycross. I have the necessary pace and we can still improve. Eighth place in Q2 means that I will start from the middle. Everything will be determined tomorrow!”

Meanwhile, Jānis Baumanis had some contact in the first corners of Q1. He did not managed to find the necessary pace throughout the rest of the run and, after receiving a 5 second penalty, concluded Q1 in sixteenth position. Starting Q2 from pole position, Jānis took his place behind Timur Timerzyanov and completed a steady run, setting the eleventh fastest time. That puts him in thirteenth position overall after the first day.

Jānis Baumanis: “Q2 was a bit better than Q1, which cannot be said about the setup of the car. We tried a lot of things today, but nothing really worked. Rain is in tomorrow’s weather forecast, which is something that we hope for. We know exactly what to do in wet conditions, and I would just need to put my head down and get on it. Anyhow, the fan support here is amazing and gives an added energy boost, so we will do our best tomorrow!”

Jānis Vēģeris made his European Rallycross Championship debut in Supercar class today. Even though he was unable to fight with the quicker cars in his heats, his car remained without damage and he set the thirteenth and fifteenth quickest times. Even though he is fifteenth overnight, the semi-final zone is just six points away.

Jānis Vēģeris: “I was a bit hesitant in Q1. We could have been faster everywhere – a bit more speed in the corners, braking a bit harder. The car was fine, but I did not get into a good rhythm. Q2 was better. I need to work on the jumps, but it will be fine! I like the Biķernieki circuit and the atmosphere is great. Racing in wet conditions is something I enjoy – the cars slide more so it is very fun.”

NESTE WORLD RX OF LATVIA PLANNED SCHEDULE*

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 15*

Sunday, September 15*
08:00 Gates open to the public
08:45 Warm-up // all categories, 2-laps per car
10:00 Qualifying 3 // World RX >> Euro RX Supercar
           Qualifying 4 // Euro RX Super1600
11:55 Qualifying 4 // World RX >> Euro RX Supercar
Projekt E demo run
13:15 Autograph session (Fan zone)
13:30 Monster Energy Rig Riot (Paddock)
13:50 Semi-finals // Euro RX Super1600 >> Euro RX Supercar
           Final // Euro RX Super1600
14:00 TV LiveStream
15:00 Semi-finals // World RX
           Final // Euro RX Supercar >> World RX
15:50 Podium (Fan zone)
17:00 CSDD Biķernieki Circuit closed for spectators
22:00 Official afterparty at Lounge Club Coyote Fly

*Latvian local time; all times are provisional and subject to change.

FIA World Rallycross Championship event Neste World RX of Latvia 2019 is possible thanks to the title sponsor Neste, as well as the Latvian Ministry of Science and Education, our partner Road Traffic Safety Directorate (CSDD), and our sponsors Ferratum and Live Riga.

News about the FIA World Rallycross Championship event Neste World RX of Latvia are available on social media accounts on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram. When communicating on social media, we suggest using the hashtag #NesteLatviaRX, which would make it possible to gather all rallycross related posts in one place.