Latvia joins calendar of the WRC championship
Today, in a special presentation event held at the newly renovated Riga Circus building, it was publicly confirmed that Latvia has met all the prerequisites set forth for the international motorsport event organizer in Latvia, RA Events, to expand its cooperation with the WRC Promoter, organizer of the FIA European Rally Championship and the FIA World Rally Championship. This allows Latvia to become the organizing country for the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) and continue its work towards the organization of the Tet Rally Latvia WRC round in 2024.
The beginning of RA Events activities as an international motorsport event organizer can be traced back to 2009 when, for the first time under their management, a round of the Latvian Rally Championship was organized – Rally Talsi. Since 2013, the company has overseen the full-scale organization of the FIA European Rally Championship round, Tet Rally Liepāja. From 2016 to 2022, Latvia, at the Biķernieki Circuit, successfully hosted a round of the FIA World Rallycross Championship – World RX of Riga-Latvia. Currently, another significant step has been taken to further solidify Latvia's reputation in the global motorsport community by continuing work on organizing the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) round, Tet Rally Latvia, scheduled to take place in 2024.
During the event, while enjoying circus performances, dance group presentations, and getting a look at the WRC manufacturer team M-Sport Ford World Rally Team’s Rally1 car, the visual identity of the planned WRC round was also unveiled today. This identity incorporates well-known amber elements of Latvia, a stylized outline of Latvia's national borders, as well as an unfinished circle symbolizing the characteristic dynamism and forward motion so typical of rally.
In the presence of government and municipal officials and representatives, the organizational quality of the FIA European Rally Championship in the Kurzeme region since 2013 was acknowledged. The economic contribution provided by the long-term presence of foreign teams in the region and the extensive foreign spectator base were also recognized and appreciated.
The course of the WRC Latvia round is planned within an especially vast territory of our country, stretching from the rally city of Liepāja in the west to the capital city of Latvia, Riga in the middle of Latvia. To organize a sports distance that meets WRC standards, reaching 300 kilometres in length through the special stages, the competition route will take participants and spectators through the Talsi, Kuldīga, Tukums, and Dienvidkurzeme regions.
“Rally friends, do not be afraid to dream and put in all your efforts to achieve those dreams! We are given an incredible opportunity that Latvian motorsport has not seen before – to host a round of the FIA World Rally Championship right here at home. This year, only thirteen countries have the honour of hosting a WRC round, watched by more than 250 million viewers worldwide! And very soon, Latvia's name will be alongside Japan, Mexico, Monte Carlo, Chile, Finland, Kenya, and several other countries on five continents to welcome the world's rallying stars and their technologically impressive Rally1 cars, witnessing these crews face the challenges thrown by the picturesque Latvian special stages. If this is not a dream come true, then I do not know what is!" says Tet Rally Liepāja organizing company RA Events director Raimonds Strokšs.
“Seizing the opportunity, I extend the greatest thanks to our rally partners – the Latvian government, the Ministry of Education and Science, the cities of Liepāja and Riga, the municipalities of Talsi, Kuldīga, and Tukums, our title sponsor Tet, and all our partners. We hold very strong cards in our hands, and by recognizing the geographical reach of the WRC round, working hand in hand as a united mechanism, we will be able to provide Latvia with unprecedented visibility worldwide! A special thanks go to my RA Events team and those close to it.
Since we embarked on organizing motorsport events in 2009, we have taken several steps forward together and made Latvia a recognized name on the global motorsport map. I will not deny that there is a lot of work ahead, but I am confident that by continuing to work with the same high level of enthusiasm and dedication as in all these previous years, we will be able to overcome any challenge to host a magnificent WRC rally in Latvia!" RA Events director Raimonds Strokšs concludes.
As noted by Peter Thul of the FIA World Rally Championship's organizing company WRC Promoter, for a championship that can be watched in over 150 countries, thanks to 50 broadcasters, the Baltic region is considered a strategically important market for the entire championship. Entrusting the organization of a WRC round to Latvia is seen as a recognition of the high evaluations given to previous achievements and a high level of trust as well.
"One of the WRC Promoter long-term goals has been to provide the opportunity for one of the ERC rounds to be included in the WRC calendar. Considering that we currently oversee both championships, we have a unique opportunity to assess all these events and offer the necessary support if we see growth potential and the possibility for any of these rallies to become a permanent part of the WRC.
Considering both the high level of sporting and organizational quality of the rally, which we have observed for several years by following ERC events, and the strong interest of the Latvian government in the further growth of the rally discipline, we have chosen Tet Rally Latvia as the first of the stages to provide such an opportunity, affirming itself at a new organizational level by organizing competitions that meet the quality standards of WRC," says Peter Thul, Senior Director of Sport at WRC Promoter.
Recalling the time when the current FIA World Rally Champion began his motorsport career in Latvia, Kalle Rovanperä, who has also won the Latvian Rally Championship title twice, expressed his joy at the exciting news dedicated a brief but emotional video message to the attendees and the Latvian rally community:
"First, I want to congratulate all of you on this great news. As you know, Latvia has played a significant role in my career because you gave me the opportunity to start my rally career when it was not allowed anywhere else. Thank you very much for that! You supported me when I needed it the most, and now you can count on my full support in helping you organize a great WRC event. I look forward to returning to Latvia with great anticipation and enthusiasm, to take on new challenges on the familiar roads of Latvia, now behind the wheel of a Rally1 car. See you soon in Latvia!"