In the competitions organized by the Tornada Motorsport Club, athletes will face eight gravel special stages – four different tracks, each of which will be completed twice.
Read more Presidential advisor: it is necessary to use EC support for the damage caused by the storm
The rally action will start in Rietavas. From 8 to 9:30 a.m., sports cars will gather in the pre-start zone at Freedom Square, at 9:30 a.m. the official rally opening and a group photo session of the participants are scheduled here, and at 10 a.m. the first crew will set off on the track.
The first 6.54 km long special stage will start at 10:20 a.m. After it, athletes will face a 4.15 km track, and both stages will be repeated once more. In the first part of the rally, crews will compete in a total of four special stages.
After the service in Plungė, the second part of the competition will begin. Longer stages await here – 9.23 and 8.30 km. They will also be driven twice. The seventh special stage will start at 3:50 p.m., and the start of the last, eighth, is scheduled for 4:20 p.m.
The total distance of the special stages indicated in the rally guide is 56.44 km, and together with the transit sections, crews will have to cover almost 217 kilometers during the day.
Safety on the track, as usual in rallies, will be one of the organizers’ top priorities. Safety cars will check the special stages ahead of the sports crews, and in this competition, Dacia models will perform these functions. Spectators are reminded to follow the instructions of the judges and safety personnel and not to stand in dangerous zones. The rally guide emphasizes that especially dangerous are the areas near turns, intersections, jumps, and other places where a sports car may suddenly change direction.
Additional intrigue for the last stage of the season is provided by the situation in the Lithuanian car rally sprint championship standings. After four stages, in some classes the leaders have already built a solid lead, but in others the fight for the final positions remains much tougher.
In the SG-2 classification, Jonas Skrebūnas leads with 75 points. However, very close behind him is Erikas Jončas with 69 points, and Jokūbas Andrulis has 64 points. Fourth with 61 points is Lukas Vajinskis. So the top four athletes in this classification are separated by only 14 points before the season finale.
In the SG-3 classification, Martynas Tereikis has built a clear advantage. In the last three stages, he finished second, first, and first and has 99 points. Majus Braškys is second with 73 points, Mantas Dilys third with 68 points, and Aurimas Valionis, with 65 points, is fourth.
The situation in the SG-4 classification is much clearer. Tomas Čepukoitis scored as many as 139 points in four stages. After finishing second in the season-opening competition, he won all three other stages. Lukas Vidrickas, in second place, has 42 points.
Read more Russian citizen’s real estate blocked Sweden from protecting its base from drones
The 2WD classification leader Mantas Gurkšnys is also having an impressive season. He has 144 points. In all four stages held so far, he took first place. Second with 107 points is Ignas Lukoševičius, third is Donatas Ožiūnas with 76 points. Ugnius Vanagas has 70 points and is in fourth place.
In the “Open” classification, Domas Bukavičius arrives at the season finale in the leader position. He has 113 points. Second with 70 points is Aurimas Eidžiūnas, third is Māris Erts with 58 points, and Tadas Gombrevičius with 56 points is in fourth place.
In the “Historic” classification, Ignas Taletavičius leads with 112 points. Aistė Perminaitė has 56, and Artiom Medvedev has 35 points.
In the “1600 Challenge” classification, Ilja Sevostian has accumulated 82 points. Aleksandras Zavackis has 28 points.
The situation is much tighter in the “Junior” classification. Here, before the last stage, Majus Braškys leads with 82 points, but Jokūbas Andrulis has 71, Erikas Jončas 69, and Lukas Vajinskis 62 points. So the results of the last stage in the young athletes’ classification can significantly adjust the final standings.
“Plungė–Rietavas Rally 2026” will not be limited to participants of the Lithuanian car rally sprint championship. The event organizers have also planned additional AWD+, AWD, 2WD+, and 2WD classifications, as well as an absolute rally classification.
Therefore, spectators on the track will see a very diverse range of vehicles – from Honda Civic, Renault Clio, BMW, and other two-wheel-drive cars to Subaru Impreza, Mitsubishi Lancer Evo, Ford Puma N5, Škoda Fabia R5, and other all-wheel-drive cars. The current list of participants includes 47 confirmed crews.
The team of the Tornada Motorsport Club organizing the rally will establish the competition center in Plungė. This is where the service zone, rally headquarters, and media center will operate, and on Saturday evening, the season final stage awards ceremony is scheduled at the Plungė Cultural Center.
So on Saturday, the last point of the 2026 Lithuanian car rally sprint championship season will be set in the Plungė and Rietavas surroundings. For some athletes, it will be about defending the lead built over four stages, for others – the last chance to climb in the annual standings, and where leaders are separated by just a few points, every second can decide the championship outcome.
