Rallycross: Vītols and world riders meet in Lidenhill

This weekend, Latvian rallycross driver Roberts Vītols will compete in the second and third rounds of the British Rallycross Championship. Volland Racing will also compete in the Vītols Super 1600 class at the Lidenhill track, while the RX Cartel team will compete in the Supercar class.

Although it seems that world motorsport has come to a standstill due to the pandemic, apart from the fiery F-1 and WRC, the British have managed to arrange the continuation of the national rallycross at Leadenhill. Therefore, Provento Racing driver Roberts Vītols will also be able to have his second (and third) race this year. The British Championship, or 5 Nations Cup, was the main priority for the Riga native this year, so the season has turned out to be quite quiet so far due to the canceled rounds.

However, the British championship is ready to resume after a long break (the first round took place in August), and quite loudly. The leading European Super 1600 class team, Volland Racing, has applied to start in Vītols’ Super 1600 class. The Germans plan to bring out the Russian Yuri Belevski, who lives in Switzerland, for the start, who won the only two rounds of the European Super 1600 championship in Barcelona. Since the season lacked rounds, Belevskis may have been left without the European champion title. Accordingly, for Vītols, his start will be a good measure of the real speed difference between a good Baltic-level technique and the leading driver of the European championship. Under the Volland Racing flag, the 16-year-old Belgian Kobe Pauwels, who has previously competed in cross-kart battles, will make his debut in rallycross. His father, Cohen, is a multiple Belgian rallycross champion and has also competed in international series of various levels.

In total, only four participants are preparing to start in the Super 1600 class (in addition to the aforementioned, Robert’s main competitor in the August stage, Darren Scott), but this time the lineup is interesting due to the participation of Volland Racing. Roberts’ father and manager Uģis Vītols also notes this: “We can say with a laugh that we will have the opportunity to gain European Championship experience without unnecessary expenses – we will meet with Europe’s strongest Super 1600 team, Volland Racing. It is clear that in terms of technology, they will be far superior – no matter how hard we try, we must be aware that our Peugeot was built ten years ago, which is a lot in motorsport. Therefore, this will be a great school, with revelations about the real difference between European Audis. We will not throw around phrases about victories, but we will do our job as best as possible so that we know that we have done everything in our power. I am not saying that we have already given up at the start; we are simply aware of the situation. We will resist as much as we can, and besides, rain is promised on Saturday, which may bring the balance of power closer. This will be a great school and a valuable experience!”

All these months, Vītolas’ Peugeot car has been in the UK, preserved in a trailer. Ugis Vītolas is concerned that a long stay in the humid British air may cause surprises: “It was not planned that the car would be stationary in a trailer for so many months. The original calendar said that the car would have to be at the start much more regularly, so we left the car in England without a doubt. However, now we will have to work to check every contact and nuance that could have been affected by the humid weather and British weather conditions. We plan to deliver the equipment to Latvia after this double stage to get it in order for the competition scheduled for January.”

The Lidenhill race also features an exciting line-up in the Supercar class. RX Cartel World Championship driver Liam Doran will be at the start on Saturday, while Andreas Backerud will be competing in the same car on Sunday. World Championship drivers Oliver Bennett and Enzo Ide will also be at the start, driving the Audi S1 ​​of world champion team JC Raceteknik. Local fans who will not be able to watch the race in person will also be treated to a sweet treat from Pat Doran. A total of 16 Supercar drivers are preparing to start on both days.

The second round of the British Championship will be held at Leadenhill on Saturday, and the third race on Sunday.