53 race pairs at the Otepää Rally

the Otepää Winter Rally, the second stage of the Terminal Estonian Rally Championship held on the roads of Otepää, Kanepi, and Kambja municipalities, saw the registration of 53 racing pairs from six countries. The Otepää Winter Rally serves as the second stage of the season for classes EMV1 – EMV8 and the Estonian Junior Challenge, while also being the opening stage for participants in EMV GAZ, EMV Lada, and the Estonian Sprint Rally Cup.

"The road conditions for the Otepää Winter Rally stages are wintry, and the road surfaces are frozen. Fresh snow has also fallen, and today all the stages will be plowed again. This year's stages offer competitors jumps characteristic of the Otepää landscape, wide and faster sections, as well as traditional ditch-lined RMK (State Forest Management Centre) sections. Spectators can enjoy beautiful winter conditions, and the RallyPin app will help them find the best viewing spots," said Marko Koosa, the Otepää Winter Rally's Clerk of the Course.

The starting lineup of the rally will be opened by Priit Koik - Alari-Uku Heldna (Škoda SRT Proto 02) competing in the EMV1 class. Along with Koik - Heldna, five racing pairs will start in the EMV1 class. As a foreign competitor, Mikolaj Kempa, a familiar face to the Estonian rally audience, will be offering competition in the EMV1 class, with Marcin Szeja taking the co-driver's seat in his Hyundai i20 VRT1.

The sole competitors in the EMV2 class are Sergey Uger - Maria Uger (Ford Fiesta), in the EMV3 class Esmar-Arnold Unt - Denisa-Alexia Parteni (Ford Fiesta Rally3), and in the EMV8 class Kerli Vilu - Arvo Liimann (Ford Fiesta R2).

Two racing pairs will start in the front-wheel-drive EMV4 class, with Hugo Arendi - Kaimar Taal (Ford Fiesta Rally4) being the first to take to the course. The starting list for the EMV5 class includes ten racing pairs, with the winners of the season's opening stage, Emīls Blums - Didzis Eglitis (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX), starting under number 2.

While ten racing pairs have registered for the EMV5 class, the EMV6 class has eight. Starting under number seven with the first BMW car will be the championship leaders Martynas Samsonas - Ervinas Snitkas (BMW M3 E36).

Seven racing pairs will start in the EMV7 category, with Joonas Palmisto - Jan Nõlvak (Volkswagen Golf 2) being the first to start.

While the Otepää Winter Rally is the second stage of the championship for the aforementioned classes, it is the first stage for the Lada class (EMV Lada) and trucks (EMV GAZ). Four Ladas and eight trucks are registered. Veiko Haabu - Veiko Vares (Lada VFTS) will take the first Lada VFTS to the delight of the spectators gathered in Otepää, and Veiko Liukanen - Toivo Liukanen (GAZ51) will drive the first GAZ-51.

Six racing pairs have registered for the Estonian Sprint Rally Cup and the Estonian Junior Rally Championship stage, with Romet Reimal - Inga Reimal (Citroen C2) being the first to start.

The second stage of the Terminal Estonian Rally Championship season will start in Tehvandi on February 22nd at 10:00 AM, and the first competing car will cross the finish podium on the same evening at 7:10 PM. In total, six special stages await the competitors, covering 84.56 competitive kilometers.

It is important for the public to know that rally passes will not be sold at the competition center or on the special stages; they can only be purchased from the Piletikeskus website. The ticket is valid for all special stages and the service park for the competing cars located at the Tehvandi Sports Center. The price of one pass is €20.90. The event is free for children under 12 years old.

Avaldatud 18/02/2025