The climate in the Baltic countries makes for a rather interesting annual rallying calendar. After the end of the season, crews have 2-3 months before a more serious winter begins. This winter is usually used very productively when there is at least one competition every weekend, and then, after 4-5 weeks of joy, we sit on our sofas again for a few months waiting for spring. So the next month will be full of action and will start in the north of Latvia, in Alūksne.
Until recently, there were many question marks ahead of this rally, because a week ago the weather was more reminiscent of October or November than January. But then snow came, and it froze too. The organizers of Alūksne additionally moistened the roads to create a better frost and tried everything else to make this competition possible, and it seems that nature gave the green light. However, the list of participants unfortunately does not reflect the efforts made and more than one expected crew is missing. Well, at least three N5 cars promise to show up.
After a short break, Paulius Beniušis and Kristupas Adinavičius will return to Latvia. As usual, they will be driving a Citroen C3 N5. For the Kaunas residents, this will be the first start with this car on snow, but that’s not all. If history is not mistaken, the last time Paulius drove on snow was in 2007 with VW Golf II and his father Arūnas read him the pacenotes. So some time has passed. Joining them from Lithuania will be Rokas Markovičius and Martynas Masaitis, who will be bringing a Hyundai i20 N5. The rally career of Rokas and Martynas began in Alūksne a year ago. However, they were not allowed to start in Alūksne due to administrative problems. The third N5 participant comes from Finland. It is 68-year-old rally veteran Sakari Vierimaa with a Peugeot 208 N5 that once raced in Lithuania. The Finn bought this car last year and mainly drove in regional competitions in Finland, but also visited Latvia and Sweden. His compatriot Mika Rajasalo will read the pacenotes for him. The Finns seem to be the best prepared, as they already had winter tests in December.
The format of the Alūknė Rally is something special. On Friday evening, there is a 13-kilometer special stage, which is driven twice and takes place after dark. On Saturday morning, three more special stages will also be driven twice. Everything will be compact and fast, so the first cars should reach the finish of the rally at around 14:45.
| Nr. | | Driver | | Co-driver | | Car | Team | Class |
| 14. |  | Paulius Beniušis | | Kristupas Adinavičius |  | Citroen C3 N5 | ABEPA ST-SPORT | 4WD / N5 |
| 18. | | Rokas Markovičius | | Martynas Masaitis |  | Hyundai i20 N5 | Gorilla Burgers | 4WD / N5 |
| 31. |  | Sakari Vierimaa | | Mika Rajasalo |  | Peugeot 208 N5 | Sakari Vierimaa | 4WD / N5 |
