Let the battle begin!
For the first time ever the Baltic Touring Car Championship will have a race on Poland soil – already next week Tor Poznan track and WSMP will host the final round of the championship, where many titles will be decided!
The Thursday will be dedicated to testing sessions, while Friday will be Qualifying day with racing sessions on Saturday and Sunday!
40 drivers have so far raced in the BMW 325 CUP class season, but Ricards Subeckis has dominated the series – with 7 wins out of 8 races he is uncatchable in the standings, but he will still come to Poznan for new experience. As the rules state 8 best races out of 10 season races will count in standings (so two worst race results will be taken out) everything is open for 2nd and 3rd spots in the series. Julius Kirsis from Dream 2 Drive currently sits second in the standings with 251 points followed by Paulius Urbonavicius with 236. Aurimas Mistautas (231), Matiss Malinovskis(218), Uldis Timaks (203), Krisjanis Oskerko (202). All of those drivers had finishes this season they would like to forget. So, anything can happen and we must not forget about local hero Karol Wyka who is in his second season in the BMW 325 CUP and knows the track inside out! Two races in Poznan will decide!
The same applies to Masters category, Kirsis have a comfortable lead but Timaks, Darius Gaidulionis, Janis Horeliks are all within striking distance. Eividas Sitavicius is the Rookie champion while Villeneuve is the Gentlemen of the year. Emilija Ulvydaite is leading the Ladies category, but follower Erika Arkusauskaite can also battle for 1st place in Poznan!
The bombs of GT will have 3 races to decide the championship – the same principle 8 best season races will go in the final standings, so with 3 races there are 75 points yet up for the grabs! BGT PRO series leader Karolis Stasiukynas is determined to hold the lead also after next Sunday – he currently leads with 128 points, followed by Arturs Batraks with 98 and Robertas Kupcikas with 75! Lukas Laukaitis is right behind with 71 and is fully able to battle for every position in the standings.
Our multiple time champion Jyrki Jonkkari from Finland will come to Poland to battle out for the championship title. The Finnish legend holds the lead in BGT AM class with 129 points, with a 30 point advantage over Egidijus Gelunas. With 75 points for the grabs Mika Makinen, Aivaras Remeika and Rokas Kvedaras are both able to fight for season podium places! BGT AM+ class also is unclear and that makes it more intriguing. Darius Gaucius is the boss so far with 87 points, followed by Martins Lukstins who had dominating performance last time out winning all three races and sits second in the standings with 75 points. BTC4 is yet to determine winners as Arturs Simins has theoretical chance to overcome Henrikas Statkus, as they have just 28 points difference.
The battle of titans – Estonians between then and against Lithuanians, the BTC2 smash. Simo Lind the man to beat in last years, sits at the top of the table with 147 points, just 2 points in front of compatriot Kairo Kallas. Then the game with worst results begin – Simo has so far worst races with 8 and 12 points, while Kallas worst result was 2x 12 points. Who will be fastest in the races – will win! Andrius Keblys is also in the mix with 106 points and also anything is possible! Agnius Narbutas is 11 points more behind and is a serious contender for season TOP3 finish. So is Kasparas Skyrelis who is 5th in the standings with 86 points.
It’s not all over yet in BTC1! Lelde Jukama is the leader of the series with 124 points, but when dropping the worst results the sum goes down to 102, and Maris Bulans with 91 is in close reach for that. Dovydas Akstinas is just five more points behind. And the new track and new challenges could be a factor here – let the best racer win! Tomas Jatkevicius is the leader of BTC3 class and is confident to be the champion after Poznan! Emils Jakrins is within a reach but will have to put a great performance.
Nankang 2h Endurance.
MKM Racing are the season champions of Nankang 2h Endurance series in BTC1 class. With a 74 point advantage they are uncatchable. But P2 in the standings is up for the grabs and will be played out by 3 teams – RSparts Motorsport, LDV Racing, ACAP Racing. BTC2 championship in 2h endurance belongs to Autokaslita – well deserved achievement after 2-year break! A real battle is brewing in BTC3 class where three Estonian and one Lithuanian team are in full chance of winning the championship! Reinup Motorsport has a slight 4 point lead over Lind Racing. RS Racing Team is 18 points behind leaders while Autoradvilis is 6 more points behind. That’s a championship decider! Three teams are able to snatch the 2nd place in BTC4 standings, where Hemi Racing by Statomenas is already champions. Reimpex-Capkauskas autocentras have already proven everything they need – they are the champions, but P2 is still vacant – both LV Racing and Energizer by RSparts motorsport can snatch the second place from DMK Racing team! The same is possible in BGT AM+ where Baltic Karting Academy team must earn points or they could lose the championship to Porsche Baltic or Porsche Latvia Racing team!
Without merged races of Baltic and Poland series, spectators will have the chance to enjoy BMW 318IS, E1Gokart Super Cup, Maluch Trophy which are very spectacular to watch for first time fans.
See you all in Poznan and may the best win!
