Pilot / Bloom tests. Photo: Edgars Andžāns
One of the fastest riders in the minirally, Mārtiņš Ločmelis, has decided to take a step forward in his motorsport career, and in the future he plans to start in the rally. Lochmelis drove in the mini-rally for three full seasons, in which he twice became the 4WD + vice-champion in a Subaru Impreza car, but once he became the champion.
Mārtiņš has already revealed to the Go4speed portal that his plans are to move to the rally, and it is known that the “Rally Liepāja”, which will take place on the Talsi side in the LRC test, will make its debut in the big rally. About why Mārtiņš decided to go to the rally, which car he will drive and what his goals are, in this conversation.
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Photo: Edgars Andžāns
Mārtiņš, how and when did you decide that you need to take a step forward and try your hand at rallying?
You know how, in the beginning, when I started riding in the minirally, the idea was to ride for my own pleasure, because I liked everything and got there. But as time goes on, different thoughts come to mind that something should be thought of slightly larger. And so I slowly developed this idea and slowly moved myself towards it.
I remember you last year in Cēsis rally sprint when you rode “0”. Did this rally, where you drove fast and beautiful, make the final decision in favor of the rally?
Yes, after Cēsis rally sprint I realized that I want to try that big rally. The dream of a rally is long overdue, but I won’t go for it at all costs, but I let it all happen naturally. And so it turned out that everything went as it should, and here we are.
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Photo: Dace Janova
Definitely your friend and at the same time the fiercest competitor of the mini-rally Kalvis Bloom was one of the determining factors to go with him to the rally.
Of course, it also played a role, but I’ve been thinking about the rally since last year. But when Kalvis started racing, my thoughts only got stronger and I realized that I had to take a step forward. The more riders from our end go on, the more others want to go along and follow in their footsteps, so it all happened as it should.
You took the tests on Sunday. How did you go?
Yes, we did the tests with the new car, where everything was new to me. But after the first drives, we drove safer and tried to get used to the new car. Together with the Rallyworkshop team that will serve me in the rally, we also found good regulations, so everything was very good. I really liked the way the new car behaved. Yes, maybe the boost for the previous car is a bit sharper, but this car still has other advantages for the rally. I think everything should be fine.
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How did you come up with the idea to buy a Subaru Impreza STI?
In the end, the options for driving have changed for weeks (laughs). I have long wanted to start in Talsi. Last year I bought the same car with a running and safety frame. But unfortunately, due to various reasons, the construction process did not start on time, so we put everything on hold. At the beginning of this season, there were already thoughts about buying an Evo, but we didn’t watch any cars. Then I had the idea that maybe the rally would have to upgrade its minirally car so that I could drive in Talsi. But then one Sunday I noticed Arnis Alkšnis announcing that he was selling his Subaru Impreza STI. I already knew that car, but then it didn’t work out for me. But when I saw Arni driving this car, I liked it more and found it quite interesting. On the same day I was called by Kārlis Nebars, and on Monday we went to see this car. We looked, we liked everything and on Tuesday we bought it.
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As far as I understand, this car is not quite ordinary, but with its history.
Yes, it is an N4 car built at the Prodrive factory in England. This car was previously driven by a Russian athlete Yevgeny Novikov. I know he really drove this car to the Argentine WRC because there is still a sticker left. The machine is really very high quality and has very little mileage. After the purchase, the only thing we did was we answered rear shock absorbers, as well as re-adjusted to 34mm restrictor.
Your co-driver “Rally Liepāja” will be Emīls Blūms.
Emil will be sitting next to me for this rally, who also wants to drive and will definitely drive in the rally, but his car is not ready for this rally yet. But for other rallies I will definitely have to look for another co-driver. Currently, Emil will be sitting next to me, who will be not only a co-driver, but also a coach who will help me to improve not only the transcript, but also tell the nuances about driving. This is very valuable.
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How did the transcript work with the transcript?
Of course, we need to work harder and more seriously on the transcript of the rally. You have to believe more and try to understand its limit. If in a minirally somehow you could slip through with a transcript, although of course in a minirally the transcript must be listened to and it must be perfect, then in the rally you will no longer slip through (laughs). If you want a good result, you have to work on the transcript. One is when you drive on the same track several times, but something completely different is when you have to drive after a transcript in a rally.
What task does Rally Liepāja set for itself?
Of course, the key is to finish. But most importantly, I want to ride the rally well for myself. If everything succeeds, then the result will not be left anywhere. I do not set any specific places or goals for myself – I want to drive well and have fun with what I have done.
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Where will we see you start this year?
This year I definitely want to go to Talsi rally and rally Cēsis in Latvia, but for further plans we will see where we can still go. I think that I will definitely go to the minirally this year as well, but in the future the idea is to focus entirely on the rally, as far as conditions and opportunities allow.
Good luck Rally Liepāja!
Thank you.
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