Eight of the twelve competitors reached the finish, with Māris Egle (Audi 80 quattro) being the quickest, beating Jānis Sala (Audi 90 quattro) by 44.7 seconds. The Historic 2WD class winner Normunds Otomers (Opel Ascona) was third overall, 57.5 seconds behind the leader. Meanwhile, the quickest Historic Lada competitor was fourth overall – Arvis Vecvagars in his VAZ Lada VFTS was 2 minutes and 15.5 seconds behind Māris Egle. Crew of Arvis Vecvagars also received Meža Dārzs sympathy prize presented in co-operation with Husqvarna.
The top four was followed by Viesturs Tilgass (VAZ 21011, Historic Lada), Kristaps Bērziņš (Volkswagen Golf, Historic 2WD), Jānis Vanags (VAZ 21013, Historic Lada), and Artūrs Himičs (Volkswagen Golf Mk2, Historic 2WD).
Rally Liepāja was tough on the historic cars, with three crews, or 25% of the total competitors, not reaching the finish of the very first special stage. Klāvs Danne (Opel Astra) retired due to a gearbox issue, Kaspars Kols (Volkswagen Golf Mk3) had a problem with the clutch, but Ivars Velme (Audi Quattro A2) was halted by an driveshaft issue. After doing two stages, Kristaps Lācis (Volkswagen Golf Mk2) also had to retire due to a problem with the driveshaft.
Fighting until the very end is extremely important in rallying, which was demonstrated by the historic class crews as well. Māris Egle won the first three stages, but the conlcuding SS4 SC Grupa was clinched by Jānis Sala, who not only set the quickest time, but beat their direct rival by an astonishing 31.5 seconds, which moved them up to second place in the overall standings.
All event results: http://autorally.lv/
Photo gallery: http://2019.lvrally.com/eng/galleries/photos/75
News and other information about Rally Liepāja can be found on the official website at www.lvrally.com, as well as on social media Twitter @LVRally, Facebook /LVRally, draugiem.lv /lvrally, YouTube /RallyLiepāja and Instagram /lvrally.
FIA European Rally Championship round Rally Liepāja is possible thanks to the support of the Latvian government, the rally city of Liepāja, as well as the Talsi region. We would also like to thank our sponsors Neste, Ramirent, and SC Grupa, car rental partner Sixt, and our supporters Canon Business Center – IB Serviss, Liepājas Olimpiskais Centrs, Liepājas Speciālās Ekonomiskās Zonas Pārvalde, Pafbet Score, and Swecon. Informative support is provided by news portal DELFI and media partners Go4Speed, JCDecaux Latvija, Kurzemes Vārds, Talsu Vēstis, and Zebra. Rally Liepāja would also not be possible without our rally friends: adGuru, Baltic Taxi, Dardedze, Flora, FN Serviss, Fristads, Jānis Pūce, Latvijas Pārtikas Ražotājs, Lofbergs, Meža Dārzs, Narvesen, Red Bull, Red Sun Buffet, Scan-Plast, SignTech, Sportland, TN Kurzeme, and Törley. Rally Liepāja is realized with support by the regional councils of Aizpute, Durbe, Priekule, Skrunda, and Vaiņode. A special thank you goes out to the Latvian Automobile Federation.
Rally Liepāja is organized by RA EVENTS and Speed Festival Kurzeme.
