Rallycross: Roberts Vītols fourth on the first day at Croft (PHOTO)

The final two rounds of the British Rallycross Championship will be held at Croft this weekend, with Latvian driver Roberts Vītols also competing. On Saturday, Vītols finished fourth in a hard-fought race in the penultimate race of the championship.

It was already clear before the race that Saturday’s battle would be very difficult, as rain was promised throughout the day. Although the circuit configuration did not seem very exciting – long straights, a few corners – the track is very difficult in wet weather. The gravel section is very close to autocross, with mud and bumps, while the asphalt, especially where it connects to the gravel, is very slippery due to clay deposits.

Under these conditions, in the first qualification, Roberts Vītols won the start and went on the track as the leader, until a trip to the meadow spoiled the result, seventh place after the first series. In the second race, Vītols was second in his run, fifth in the series, with several competitors experiencing slips and problems. In the third qualification, Roberts entered the top three, taking third position. It stopped raining in this series, but the Latvian had to ride in the first qualification group, for which the track was even wetter than for the participants in the next race. Overall, this meant fourth place in the sum of three runs and a start in the final from the second row.

In a tight race in the final, Roberts Vītols finished in fourth place, which the rider was not entirely satisfied with. However, the good news was that his main competitor for the British Championship medal, Ben Sayers, finished behind the Latvian, allowing Roberts to slightly consolidate his position in third place in the championship before Sunday’s race.

Luke and James Constantin finished in the top three on Saturday, with Patrick O’Donovan coming in second after finishing last of the two qualifying sessions, starting from eighth position.

Robert’s father and manager, Uģis Vītols, sums up Saturday’s battle: “After the race, when we arrived at our camp, Robert quickly went to his room because he was not satisfied with his performance today. Of course, the task of being ahead of Sayer was accomplished, but I would agree that this day did not go as well as we would have liked. There were mistakes, and there were also mistakes that were repeated, although they were talked about. But this is part of the learning process, and such lessons should also be there. In any case, the track and the race were very difficult due to the surface and weather conditions; we had to fight. Today, the leaders were elusive – Constantaini and O’Donovan grew up just a few kilometers from the track, so they knew the nuances of the lap and “behavior” perfectly in such conditions – an absolutely deserved and convincing victory and leading positions. We already managed to discuss a lot with Robi about the things that did not satisfy us on the ride. He is “I calculated that on Sunday, I could finish right behind Sayers, but not further. I think I should get the cup in the last race!”