Liepaja an undecided 5th round in ERC

Appearing for the first time in 2013, Liepaja is celebrating its 10th edition this year in ERC. The Latvian sleeve is based in Talsi, a small town 120 kilometers northeast of the capital Riga. Fifth round of the season, this should also be the last on gravel, since the calendar of 8 meetings has been drawn up fairly between the two surfaces. In the Baltic country, the competitors will face very fast stages on often very hard roads. The averages are high each year, with Nikolay Gryazin winning at 118km/h in 2021. For this edition, the crews will have to cover 181,01 timed km divided into 12 SS (8 different routes). The debates will open on Friday from 17:15 p.m. (16:15 p.m. in France) with the shakedown and the important qualifying session which will allow the drivers to choose their position on the road for the first stage.

Nile Solans (Red Bull Content Pool)

Tom Kristensson (Red Bull Content Pool)

Within the list of 50 entries (including 22 Rally2/R5), if there is no former winner of the event, several candidates appear. Leader of the championship with 24 points ahead of 2nd, Efren Llarena (Fabia) has a good knowledge of this round which he is competing for the 4th time (4th place in 2021). The 27-year-old Spaniard will look to further widen the gap, but he will have to deal with his compatriot Nil Solans who showed in Poland that he already mastered the handling of his Hyundai i20 Rally2. On this fast terrain, Tom Kristensson (Hyundai R5) will play spoilsport in the same way as Ken Torn (Fiesta). Other outsiders like Simon Wagner (Fabia), Josep Bassas (Fabia) or Javier Pardo (Fabia) will be worth watching.

Yoann Bonato (Red Bull Content Pool)

Hayden Paddon (Red Bull Content Pool)

For his second participation in the event, Yoann Bonato will rely on his experience from last year to aim for a good result. Even if he will not leave with the best assets, Hayden Paddon is making a return to Europe which will be interesting to follow. In the lower category, Liepaja will serve as the setting for a new duel between Laurent Pellier (Corsa) and Anthony Fotia (Clio) for the victory of ERC2. The two French people will, however, have to be wary of the Finnish Toni Herranen (Fiesta) and the Italian Andrea Mabellini (Clio).

Laurent Pellier (Red Bull Content Pool)