The fourth event of the Lithuanian Rally Championship will take place in the Rokiškis area on August 7-9. It is expected to attract almost a hundred participants from Lithuania and abroad. The duo of the Viada-Multi FX team – Giedrius Notkus and Dalius Strižanas – will also start here.
The rally competition in Rokiškis has presented Giedrius Notkus with a lot of surprises throughout its history. Perhaps the most notable moment of their participation here is the accident they had with the Mitsubishi Lancer EVO while jumping from the Vaidotas Žala crest.
Another breathtaking scenario unfolded for Giedrius Notkus and Dalius Strižanas while racing in the Škoda Fabia R5. Having punctured the cooling radiator, they still managed to reach the finish line. And although the crew sacrificed their engine for this, the judges disqualified the duo for adding coolant in an unauthorized place.
The last case also resonated very loudly, when the crew was given a ten-second penalty even before the start. This happened because Giedrius Notkus, at the invitation of the organisers, tested the quality of the artificial crest, although at that time the map of prohibited local zones was already in force and the athlete could not be in that place without full coordination with the clerk of the course.
Before this year’s “Rokiškio Grand Rally” Giedrius Notkus is considering what other scenario has not happened to him in this rally. However, the Panevėžys resident admits that he will strive to perform as well as possible here and hopes that there will be no surprises this time.
“When I go to Rokiškis, my thoughts are always mixed. It’s my home country and I always feel great support from the people there. It’s great to be back there. It’s the biggest summer rally, the biggest rally celebration, lasting even several days. But there’s always that dark side of Rokiškis, because in this rally we always get into trouble, get fines or disqualifications. I want to go to this rally, and I’m afraid.
This rally is also famous for its jumps, but we do everything with them simply – we press the accelerator to the max, close our eyes and wait to see what happens. But seriously, the jumps pose a lot of challenges. We’ve broken our car there more than once. The jumps are a tribute to the spectators, but it’s hard on us. You always try to find that golden mean, but sometimes you don’t hit it. But that’s the price of a rally.
The Special Stages here are difficult, requiring endurance and concentration. You need to put your energy into reaching the finish line, not just passing one special stage quickly. Although we have a lot of experience in this rally, we are looking forward to the competition. It will be a real rally treat. We will look forward to the support of all the fans,” said Giedrius Notkus, adding that a week before the rally, they will also have car tests and will look for the most suitable settings for the special stages of the “Rokiškio Grand Rally”.
“Rokiškis Grand Rally” will take place on August 7-9. More information about the upcoming competition can be found on the organizers’ Facebook account and the rally website.