Photo: Porsche Sprint Challenge NEZ
Last weekend – on July 28 and 29 – Latvia’s leading highway driver Valters Zviedris had an excellent fourth stage of the “Porsche Sprint Challenge NEZ” in Finland, winning both qualifying and both races. In the wet conditions, the Swede showed great speed, which allowed him not only to win, but also to take a decisive lead in the overall standings two stages before the end of the season.
It was two stressful but successful weeks for Valters Zviedris and the team. A week earlier, the Swede, together with Ramūnas Čapkauskas and Nemūnas Dagili, as part of the “TDS group – TOKS Racing Team” team, won the second place overall and the victory in the class in the legendary “Aurum 1006 km” endurance competition in Palanga. This was followed by active preparation for the Finnish stage of the “Porsche Sprint Challenge NEZ”, to which the Latvian athlete was able to go thanks to the support of “Porsche Latvija”.
“Within three days, we had to manage to prepare the car, replace various parts, perform maintenance, go through everything, because we left for Finland early in the morning on Thursday. The Chapkauska team did it brilliantly, the car was perfectly prepared for the competition. We did two practice sessions on Friday and I felt very good. Since I had spent a lot of time behind the wheel in Palanga, I felt very comfortable and ready to fight for victory already with the first laps. I drove a very good lap in qualifying, with which I managed to win and, accordingly, start in the first race from first place,” she says about the preparation and the first part of Friday Walter the Swede.
Photo: Porsche Sprint Challenge NEZ
Practice and qualifying were held on a dry track, however the first run, which took place shortly after qualifying, was heavily rained on. “It didn’t worry us, because in Palanga we already had to ride in such conditions and we were ready for them. Thanks to my extensive karting experience, I always feel good in wet conditions because I know the correct trajectories, which are different in the rain. We also knew what adjustments needed to be made so that the car would have the best possible grip on the asphalt in these slippery conditions. We started from first place, but immediately behind us there was an accident, which meant red flags and a stop. The re-start was also good, however, due to the fact that we had less pressure in the tires than the competitors, I lost one position in the third turn. I was second for several laps, but during the race we managed to get the temperature of the tires and we showed the fastest lap times. In the middle part of the trip I managed to catch and pass the first place Finnish Tuomala, then I broke away from him and won a convincing victory! It was a cool and interesting first race from the point of view of both drivers and spectators, as there were many battles and overtakings,” comments the Latvian racing driver on the victory of the first race.
The fastest lap in the first race allowed the Swede to start from the first position in the second race on Saturday. The start, however, was postponed to a later time, because there were heavy rains throughout the day, which made the conditions on the track very dangerous. “Finland’s Alastaro track has many slopes, so water flows over the track, which can cause unexpected and rapid aquaplaning on the straights at high speed. The rain stopped a little and we could finally go on the track. The start was good and with each lap I got more and more away from my competitors, creating a gap of 30 seconds to the second place. During the ride, it started to rain heavily again, so three laps before the end, a safety car entered the track, behind which we also reached the finish line. It’s a pleasure that we were able to be so fast in such difficult conditions and win two important victories,” says the Swede about the excellent victory of the second race.
Photo: Porsche Sprint Challenge NEZ
With these two victories, the Swede has managed to rise to the first place in the overall standings of the Northern European Porsche Championship, ahead of the nearest competitor by 24 points. “I would like to thank “Porsche Latvija”, which believed in us and provided the necessary support to be able to go to the start in Finland and show that we are the fastest among the Baltic and Finnish drivers in this prestigious championship. There are two more stages left, in which we will continue to go towards our goal for this season – the title of “Porsche Sprint Challenge NEZ” champion,” the Swede is full of determination. The next stage of the series will take place on 18-19. in August as part of the “Pärnu Summer Race”, when the Baltic Highway Championship will also visit Pärnu.
2023-08-01 14:58:37
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