In recent seasons, G. Notkus competed in the Rokiškis area behind the wheel of a Škoda Fabia R5, and this year he is driving a rear-wheel-drive BMW for the entire season. Although the athlete has already become well acquainted with the capabilities of this car, its weak point has also emerged – the heavily loaded equipment does not always hold up.
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Before one of the longest and most challenging rallies of the season, G. Notkus’s team is therefore focusing most of their attention on the car’s reliability.
“I won’t hide it – factory cars are much more durable and can travel many kilometers without service. Meanwhile, we know that our BMW is a car assembled by local craftsmen, which sometimes fails and breaks down. Before this rally, we carefully inspect the car, change the gearbox, differentials, and half-shafts. We try to anticipate everything. Of course, there is still some percentage chance that it might not hold up,” said Giedrius Notkus, driver of the Viada-Multi FX team.
Over the three days of competition, crews will face 17 special stages and 134 competitive kilometers, and the fast gravel roads of Rokiškis and numerous jumps will be a serious endurance test for the equipment.
“The power of this car is really high – more than 400 horsepower goes to one axle. The last competition already showed that the metal does not hold and breaks. And in Rokiškis, there will be many kilometers and many jumps. At the same time, we will need to drive smartly and preserve the equipment,” said G. Notkus.
However, it may not be possible to choose a more cautious strategy in advance. How much the car can be preserved will depend on the pace shown by direct competitors. If rivals start attacking at full throttle from the first special stages, G. Notkus may also have to forget about saving the equipment.
“Of course, everything will depend on the pressure from competitors, how they attack us, how they push. Whether we will have to give all our strength and push to the limit, or if we will have a reserve and can save the car.
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The Estonian champion Markus Tammoja will come to our class. He has driven in Lithuania for two seasons and knows our roads well, so it will definitely be interesting to see if we can compete with him,” said G. Notkus.
The competition of powerful M series BMWs promises to be one of the highlights of the Rokiškis Grand Rally. Besides G. Notkus and M. Tammoja, such equipment will compete in Rokiškis with Andrejus Apočkinas, Darius Sukackas, Saulius Trapuila, Nedas Radišauskas, and Gytis Stalerūnas. Therefore, the fight in this category promises to be not only fierce but also very spectacular for the spectators.
This year, the Rokiškis Grand Rally will be held for the tenth time. In the anniversary rally, athletes will face special stages on the Jūžintai side, which have not been used before in the Lithuanian car rally championship. According to the organizers, the new routes are technical, suitable for driving in various weather conditions, and will replace previously problematic stages due to the surface.
In total, from August 13 to 15, crews will cover 17 special stages with a total length of 134 kilometers, and the entire rally route will be 543 kilometers. Athletes will face both gravel and asphalt surfaces.
The anniversary Rokiškis Grand Rally will also be a stage of the Lithuanian car rally championship, FIA European Rally Trophy, Tour European Rally championship, and Lithuanian Rally4 Trophy. Therefore, in Rokiškis, not only the strongest Lithuanian crews but also foreign crews will compete for victories and championship points.
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