Both new and familiar special stages
Edvinas Vašteris, who is preparing the route for the event, has revealed the first details: the rally will feature 11 special stages with a total competitive distance of approximately 90 kilometres.
As rallies are held almost every year in the Mažeikiai, Akmenė and Telšiai regions, finding completely unused sections of road is difficult.
“Some of the special stages will be familiar: some were used last year, some the year before, and others even earlier. However, I believe the relatively compact competitive distance will appeal to the participants and still give them every opportunity to demonstrate their skills,” says E. Vašteris.
The rally itself will take place over a single day — Saturday, 3 October.
Four special stages will be run twice, while three stages will be contested only once. Almost the entire route will be on gravel. Crews will encounter only a short section of asphalt near Akmenė, towards which they will head after the morning start.
The afternoon section of the rally will move to the Viekšniai area, which is well known to the competitors. Some stages will also run through the Telšiai district, while the final special stage of both the rally and the entire season is planned near the “ORLEN Lietuva” refinery, which is celebrating its anniversary.
There will be no night stages, allowing rally competitors and fans to make their way to Mažeikiai Old Town Park after the finish.
Free admission for spectators
As the “ORLEN Lietuva” Rally forms part of the refinery’s anniversary celebrations, the official opening ceremony will take place in Old Town Park on Friday, 2 October. Jovani will get the crowd warmed up with an opening set. Following the official speeches and the presentation of all the crews competing in the rally, the evening entertainment will continue, with fireworks followed by a Jovani disco set to get Mažeikiai moving.
On Saturday evening, after the rally awards ceremony, a concert by Linas Adomaitis and an orchestra will bring both the event and the rally season to a close in Old Town Park at approximately 8:00 p.m.
The “ORLEN Lietuva” Rally will also be unique this season because spectators will not need to purchase tickets for either the special stages or the entertainment events. Come along — and bring your friends!
Approximately 50–60 crews are expected to compete in the final round of the 2026 Lithuanian Rally Championship