Photo: Olafs Ezertēvs
During the holidays, folk racing, autocross and rallycross races were held on the Mūsa track. The pleasant intrigue was taken care of by the titled motorist Māris Neikšāns, who made his debut in the Buggy 1600 class, as well as returned to Folkreis. In both classes Māris showed great speed, entering the finals in both classes. Unfortunately, due to technical and health problems, the final failed to show the result expected by the athlete himself and his supporters.
” So many emotions in one weekend – from joy and satisfaction to tears of pain and experience in my eyes! It could describe the past race on the home track in Mūsa, ” begins Māris Neikšāns.
Photo: AX Latvia
” This year I decided to start in the Mūsa thriller in the folk race, so the car was procured in time. A week before the race I learned about the possibility to rent a buggy. Participating in the buggy competition was one of my little dreams since childhood, so without much thought, I decided to start in both races.
” The preparation process was not easy, there was a lot of work at the buggy to put it in order. Many thanks to Neiksans Rallysport mechanics who worked for four days from morning to late evening to prepare the buggy for the start! Due to the rainy weather, it was not possible to go to training, so there were a lot of unknowns before the start. ”
“But then what happened I couldn’t imagine in the worst nightmares happened – on Thursday, studying the angles of another buggy, I fell into a repair pit and broke a rib. It made the weekend quite excruciating. Everything went according to plan in the folk race – winning all four qualifications, I won the first place in the final.
” On the other hand, all the starts were perfect in the buggy test, and with each qualifying ride I got used to the car, adjusted the suspension settings and miraculously managed to repair the wheel, which broke in the 3rd qualification after winning the start. But the fight was not only with competitors, but also with myself and overcoming pain. On each ride, in every bend and in every pit, the broken rib began to hurt more and more, and shortness of breath, especially when riding a buggy with no padding in the bucket, did not help the painkillers.
Photo: AX Latvia
” Before the finals in the service park, the rib hit the back so hard that for a while my legs got wet and I fell on the asphalt. The medics injected painkillers, and as soon as I got out of the ambulance, I immediately pulled on my helmet and drove to the start of the folk race final. I couldn’t concentrate on the ride, I made a mistake in choosing the starting position, and in the first lap, fighting the competitors, forced me to the concrete curb, as a result of which I broke the wheel. ”
” After half an hour I had to start the buggy in the final, but the broken rib hurt so badly that I realized that I would not be able to run seven laps qualitatively. I had to make the most painful decision of my athlete’s career – do not go to the start in the final home track, with my friends, family and fans. However, despite the failed result, the race was great! Lots of emotions, awareness of one’s possibilities and strengthening of the firmness of character.
” Thank you to the organizing team and fans for this motorsport festival in Bauska! Let’s meet again next year, because a dull idea will come to mind again, ” Neikšāns concludes.
