Roberts Vitols takes two convincing victories at the start of RallyX season in Netherlands

Latvian rallycross driver Roberts Vitols has successfully started the 2026 RallyX season, securing victories on both race days in the Netherlands at the Eurocircuit, competing in the Supercar Lites category. Over the course of the two-day event, the Latvian driver delivered a convincing performance in both qualifying sessions and finals, achieving the maximum possible result at the start of the season.

The first round of the RallyX championship on Saturday began with strong pace for Vitols, setting the fastest times in both practice sessions and the first qualifying heat.

“Overall, two successful days. Saturday was slightly overshadowed by a small issue that I only realised just before the final. As the track conditions improved and became faster, it became more difficult to rotate the car in one of the most important corners of the track – the uphill gravel hairpin. I was the fastest in the rest of the track, but it was exactly in that corner where I lost the most time, and as is typical in this class, drivers are separated by tenths of a second, so the time loss there was too significant,” explained Vitols.

“Before the final, my thoughts were focused on one component of the car, which we checked before the race, and it turned out to be the source of the issue. Already on the first lap of the final, I realised the problem was solved and I could position the car exactly how I wanted. A completely different, faster driving performance emerged.”

The final itself developed in a seemingly dramatic way – in the first corner behind Vitols, a multi-car collision occurred, giving him a relatively clear path to the finish. Vitols himself also received a heavy hit in the incident, which damaged the exhaust, but he managed to maintain a stable pace and secure his first victory of the season.

On the second race day, Vitols started with a completely different level of confidence and feeling for the car and his speed, which was also reflected in the results. The Latvian driver dominated all sessions, setting the fastest time in each one, and convincingly won the final as well, finishing with a margin of nearly four seconds.

“After identifying the issue on the first day, I was already looking forward to the second round with anticipation that same evening. I knew I had good speed, and if I executed everything correctly, the result would follow. Every run was completed with quality, without mistakes, and with confidence, controlling the pace. In the final, I knew I had to get everything right in the opening corners and then I would manage the rest of the race. That’s exactly what happened – stable, without unnecessary risk, and at my own pace. After the final, looking at the lap times, all laps were completed within half a tenth of a second up to the joker lap, which in rallycross, with all the sliding, dust, bumps, and contact, is not easy to achieve.”

“Of course, there is satisfaction with the result, but especially with all the work that was invested by everyone. Over the past weeks and months, a lot was done, and together with the team we prepared the car as late as Friday. It is satisfying that we were able to turn that into two successful days with the maximum result,” added Vitols.

It is also worth noting that throughout both days, Vitols’ fastest lap times were only 0.5–0.8 seconds slower than the fastest times in the FC2 category.

Provento Racing team manager Ugis Vitols:

“From the outside, it might seem easy – to arrive and win – but in reality, it is the result of a lot of work, both physically and mentally. Preparing the car, making the right decisions during the race, and the driver’s ability to maintain a consistently high level of performance in every run are all crucial. It is worth paying attention to lap time consistency, which is one of the key indicators of a driver’s quality.

Before the start, I told Roberts – do everything correctly and the result will follow. Roberts executed all instructions with discipline in every Sunday run. I am also very satisfied that we continue our cooperation with the Swedish Faren team. Everyone knows their responsibilities and works together as a cohesive unit. From catering, which was taken care of by Roberts’ mother and sister, to tightening the wheels. It is a great start to the year, and we are already preparing for the next races.”

With two victories at the start of the season, Vitols has secured the maximum number of championship points. The next RallyX event is scheduled in two weeks’ time in Sweden, at the Tierp circuit, where a major motorsport festival is expected, featuring RallyX, drifting and Scandinavian folk racing competitions, an air show, car exhibitions, and much more.