In the final, the Lithuanian competed against the brightest names in rallycross and motorsport – eight-time world rallycross champion Johan Kristoffersson, nine-time world rally champion Sébastien Loeb, multiple European champion Andreas Bakkerud, Juha Rytkönen, and Fabien Pailler racing on his home track.
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- FIA YouTube link to the semifinals and final:VIDEO: ? Semi-Finals & Finals LIVE | Euro RX of France 2026
? Semi-Finals & Finals LIVE | Euro RX of France 2026
Starting the final from sixth position, R. Baciuška finished fifth, overtaking S. Loeb and losing by only 0.739 seconds to J. Kristoffersson who finished ahead of him.
Started the weekend among the fastest
At one of the biggest rallycross events in Europe, more than 160 athletes started in all classes, and in the main RX1 category, 30 cars took the start.
In the Friday training sessions, R. Baciuška consistently improved his positions. In the first session, held on a wet and gradually drying track, the Lithuanian recorded the tenth best time – 40.087 seconds. In the second training, the surface was dry, and Baciuška completed a lap in 37.248 seconds, rising to sixth place.
Interestingly, in both training sessions, the Lithuanian was exactly 0.804 seconds behind the fastest, J. Kristoffersson.
On Saturday, as the qualifying battles began, track conditions changed again. In the rain-soaked first qualifying, R. Baciuška took 18th place, and as the track dried in the second and third qualifiers, he rose to ninth and eighth positions respectively.
A punctured tire complicated the path to the final
In the last qualifying on Sunday morning, R. Baciuška was in a very strong race alongside J. Kristoffersson, Ole Christian Veiby, S. Loeb, and Tamás Kárai.
The Lithuanian had a good start but found himself between two rivals in the first corner and had to withstand strong contact. Baciuška maintained control of the car and was running third, but later his „Hyundai i20“ tire began to deflate. Continuing the fight at the same pace was no longer possible.
He finished fifth in his race and was 28th overall in the Q4 standings. After all four qualifiers, having scored 113 points, Baciuška took 15th place and qualified among the 24 athletes continuing to the quarterfinals.
In the third quarterfinal, the Lithuanian started from fourth position but moved up to third place in the first lap.
After quickly completing the „Joker“ lap, he was temporarily behind Kevin Hansen but maintained a high pace and took advantage of the moment when his rival later took the longer part of the track.
Baciuška finished third in 3 min. 20.425 sec. – only 0.414 seconds behind second place and 0.490 seconds ahead of Martin Enlund who took fourth. Third place guaranteed the last ticket to the semifinal.
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From the last semifinal row – into the final six
In the first semifinal, R. Baciuška started from sixth position, alongside F. Pailler, J. Kristoffersson, Patrick O’Donovan, Julien Febreau, and Nils Volland, who were among the leaders all weekend.
The right strategy and steady pace allowed the Lithuanian to rise to third place. He completed the six-lap distance in 3 min. 52.944 sec. and took the last ticket to the final.
This season, after a six-year break, Baciuška returned to rallycross and reached the semifinal at the Latvian stage but did not make it to the final six then. In France, the Lithuanian took another step forward.
In the final, Baciuška again started from sixth position. Choosing the outer trajectory in the first corner, he immediately took the „Joker“ lap – the only one among all six finalists to do so in the first lap.
He returned to the main part of the track in sixth but kept up with the rivals’ pace and overtook S. Loeb near the end of the race. Baciuška finished fifth, completing six laps in 3 min. 51.188 sec.
He was 4.343 seconds behind the winner F. Pailler, 0.739 seconds behind J. Kristoffersson who finished fourth, and 0.994 seconds ahead of S. Loeb. Along with fifth place, Baciuška earned 18 European Championship points.
„The day went pretty well – with a smile. Probably not many expected that out of 30 athletes we could reach the final, but I haven’t forgotten rallycross yet. There are still some nuances with the car, we are still fighting with the settings, but we finished among the top five. In front – Kristoffersson, behind me – Loeb. Such names around say a lot,“ said R. Baciuška after the final.
„The team worked very well all weekend, so I definitely count this stage as a success. France had an incredible atmosphere, a good track, and tens of thousands of fans. It’s unusual for me to see so many people at a race. Now tests and races in Morocco with the Defender Rally team await,“ added the Lithuanian.
The Lohéac stage was won by Frenchman F. Pailler, who completed the final distance in 3 min. 46.845 sec. A. Bakkerud finished second, J. Rytkönen third, and J. Kristoffersson took fourth place.
After the rallycross weekend, R. Baciuška’s attention turns again to the main program of this season. From September 28 to October 3, the fourth stage of the FIA World Rally-Raid Championship will take place in Morocco, where the Lithuanian will continue to compete with the Defender Rally team.
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