Rally Talsi entry list promises exciting battles for victories in all classes. Latvian Rally Championship leaders from all classes have registered for the event, as have 2016 Rally Talsi winners Martynas Samsonas / Mindaugas Varža, and last year’s winners of the Champions Cup, Vytautas Švedas / Žilvinas Sakalauskas. An unprecedented six R5 class cars, Škoda Fabia and Ford Fiesta, will be competing in the most powerful championship class, LRČ. The list of entries among historic cars is no less impressive – the oldest Regularity event entrant is a 1965 MG MGB, while the most powerful Historic Sport class car is the Audi Quattro A2! All entries can be found on the Latvian rally championship website at www.autorally.lv.

Qualifying stage and start position selection

Rally Talsi will follow the practice used in the World (WRC) and European (ERC) Rally Championships, by organizing a qualifying stage, followed by start position selection. The 5.73 km long stage will be tackled on the afternoon of Friday, May 19, with the 15 all-wheel drive crews with the lowest start numbers taking part. Each crew will do the qualifying stage once, and, based on their time (with the quickest selecting first), will be able to choose their starting position during the Rally Talsi opening ceremony.

World Rally Championship offsprings – Kalle Rovanpera and Oliver Solberg

Some internationally known names can also be found on the entry list. Rally Talsi will be the first gravel rally for Oliver Solberg, son of Petter - three time World Champion in Rally and Rallycross. Rally Talsi spectators will have an opportunity to see the 15 year old’s first steps in rallying! Another well-known, yet already experienced, young driver is Kalle Rovanpera, son of Finnish rally legend Harry. Last year was Kalle’s first in Rally Talsi, with him finishing second overall, but this year he is a favourite on three fronts – in his class, in the overall standings of the rally, and in the battle for the prestigious Champions Cup!

Stage maps

Rally Talsi Spectators’ guide can be found on event’s website – www.rallytalsi.lv. The printer friendly document includes all stage locations and spectator points, including a description of the road section heading up to the spectator area, and other useful information!

Exchange your ticket for a wristband

It is important to remember that tickets must be exchanged for wristbands before heading out to the stages – you will not get access to the stage without a wristband! Two ticket exchange locations will be available during the rally – one at the Talsi roundabout (working hours – Friday: 10:00-20:00, Saturday: 8:00-16:00), and the other one next to the Rīga-Ventspils road, after the junction to Kandava when coming from Rīga (working hours – Friday: 12:00-20:00, Saturday: 8:00-16:00). Tickets to Rally Talsi are available at Biļešu Serviss locations and online, at a price of 15.00 EUR per ticket.

Live broadcasts on Talsu TV and Re:TV

Rally Talsi will be broadcasted live on Talsu TV and Re:TV. The first broadcast will begin on Friday, May 19, when, starting from 16:00, Talsu TV will be showing the Historic class cars heading into the stage, followed by the rally opening ceremony, Top15 crew start position selection, as well as the start of the first stage, SS1/2 Canon Biznesa Centrs – IB Serviss. At 18:15-19:00, the first special stage will also be broadcast by Re:TV!

Rallying will return to Talsu TV on Saturday, May 20, when, beginning at 17:00, the start of the final stage, SS11/12 Talsi City Special, will be broadcast. Historic Sport class vehicles will tackle the stage first, followed by Rally Talsi and rallysprint competitors. The live broadcast will also be available on Talsu TV website at www.talsutv.lv.

Kurzemes Radio reports from the special stages

If your radio is tuned to Kurzemes Radio on Friday and Saturday, you will be able to hear all the latest news and information regarding Rally Talsi. Rally radio studio will be led by Andris Grīnvalds, who will be assisted by correspondents at the special stages, in the service park and other rally locations. Around Talsi, Kurzemes Radio is broadcast at 106.4MHz, but it is also available in other locations around Latvia, as well as online – www.kurzemesradio.lv.

Traffic restrictions

During Rally Talsi, the Talsi city and its nearby areas will have changes in the traffic organization. Most of these will come into effect on the two days of the rally, but there will be a few locations where these restrictions take place a bit sooner. It is important to note that there are ongoing roadworks on the way to Talsi, so getting to your destination might take longer than usual. Please visit the websites of Latvijas Valsts Ceļi, www.lvceli.lv, and Rally Talsi, www.rallytalsi.lv, to find out about all the planned traffic restrictions.

Be a responsible rally spectator

Rally Talsi organizer RA EVENTS would like to remind all spectators that motorsports events are dangerous, and that your safety depends solely on your actions at the spectating areas at the special stages. We invite you to spectate from the specially designed spectator areas, which the organizer has made as safe as possible. The rally organizer cannot take any responsibility for spectator safety in spots that are outside of these spectator areas.

Rally Talsi would not be possible without our supporters, so we would like to thank the rally city of nine hillocks – Talsi, sponsors Neste and Talce / SC Grupa, as well as Autobrava, who provide the official car of Rally Talsi. We would also like to thank our supporters Canon Business Center, Krauzers, Lakalme, Ramirent, and Swecon. Thanks to our media partners Delfi, JCDecaux, Kurzemes Radio, Re:TV, SIN, Talsu Televīzija, Talsu Vēstis, What Car?, and Zebra, for their informative support. The event would also not be possible without our rally friends – Alfa SLS, Dardedze Hologrāfija, Esi Draugs, FN Serviss, Holography, Meža Dārzs, Red Bull, Sportland, Törley, Venden, and the Latvian Automobile Federation.

More information about Rally Talsi: www.rallytalsi.lv and http://autorally.lv. News and other information about Rally Talsi is also available on social media: Twitter @RallyTalsi, Facebook /RallyTalsi, Draugiem.lv /RallyTalsi, and YouTube /RallyTalsi.

Jānis Unbedahts, Media officer. Photo: Mārtiņš Vanags, go4speed.lv