Mārtiņš Ločmelis and Harijs Vējiņš successfully defended their title at the opening round of Latvia’s 2026 mini-rally championship, winning the Vidzeme event for the second consecutive year. The Latvian duo piloted their Subaru Impreza to victory in the asphalt-surface competition held on April 17, 2026, at the Raceway Baltic facility near Riga.
The victory marks a repeat performance for Ločmelis and Vējiņš, who also claimed the top spot in the 2025 edition of the Vidzeme mini-rally. Their win came after completing 25.21 kilometers of competitive stages across four unique speed sections, with the first three sections each driven twice during the event.
According to official timing, Ločmelis and Vējiņš finished ahead of Vahejoe/Madison in second place by a margin of 5.09 seconds. The third position on the overall podium went to Apfelbaums/Marcinkevičs, who trailed the winners by 16.83 seconds in the absolute classification.
The rally route featured stages at Raceway Baltic and the Biķernieki sports complex. Competitors began with the Ropažu Novads stage (2.70 km), followed by the Biķernieku Trace (5.05 km), then the Vangaži 35! stage (3.19 km). The event concluded with a return to the Biķernieki track for the BKSB 60! stage (3.33 km), which was run as a parallel speed section this year.
Speaking after the win, Ločmelis acknowledged the challenges faced during the competition while expressing satisfaction with the outcome. “We weren’t lucky without adventures, but in the complete everything worked out successfully,” he stated in post-race comments.
The Vidzeme mini-rally served as the opening round of Latvia’s 2026 mini-rally championship and cup competition, attracting approximately 100 crews across 12 different vehicle classes. Both Vahejoe/Madison and Apfelbaums/Marcinkevičs claimed class victories in their respective categories during the event.
This result continues Latvia’s active mini-rally scene, which features multiple events throughout the season on various surfaces. The Vidzeme event specifically focuses on asphalt stages, forming part of the national championship’s opening phase.
As the season progresses, teams will prepare for upcoming rounds in the Latvian mini-rally championship, with competitors looking to challenge Ločmelis and Vējiņš for dominance in the national standings.
For continued coverage of Latvia’s mini-rally season and other motorsport developments, fans can follow official championship updates and team announcements throughout the year.
