With a Dream of Racing Event in the Center of Riga – Motorsport Enthusiast Emīls Jakrins

For almost every professional motorsport racer’s journey, it begins with karting races. Similar story, although later in life and without high-reaching ambitions, was the case for Emīls Jakrins, who has been enjoying touring car races on Baltic tracks for more than ten years. We present a brief interview with Emīls Jakrins, the second-place winner in the “BTC3” class of the 2024 Baltic Touring Car Championship.
Emīls Jakrins – motorsport competitor.

How did this story begin?

“My journey as a motorsport competitor started in childhood, when my father, together with Edgars Skulte, purchased the Kandava karting track, and our entire family has always been fans of various motorsports. But my personal career began many years ago, in 2004 or 2005, with the Latvian karting championship as part of the Modris Steinerts kart team. It was an enjoyable experience, but karting never fully captivated me. There was a long break until, together with my childhood friend Mārtiņš Priede, we decided to participate in rally raids – it coincided with the time when I was a Fiat dealer in Latvia and, at that time, the Dakar race also featured the Fiat Panda, which then become our choice. We drove a fully modified Fiat Panda, very few parts were left from the original of the car and it, of course, was quite expensive. We raced rally raids, then classic rallies, until in one of the races the engine failed and the story of Panda with it.”

How did your circuit racing journey begin?

“Around that time I received an offer to compete in classic rally with a Honda ‘Civic Type-R’, but at the same time I also participated in the 1000 km race in Palanga, winning in my class. Gradually, I transitioned from rally to touring car racing, even completing a partial season in the ‘Super 1600’ class with a VW Golf III. Later, I also took part in the Baltic endurance races with the ‘Zvaigzne Motorsport’ team driving a BMW ‘E90’ diesel, until… again the engine failed and there was no desire to restore the car. So, from 2017, I took a break until 2021.”

How did your return to touring car racing happen?

“In 2021, my business partner, Lelde Jukāma, was preparing to start competing in circuit racing. I gave her some advice, and of course, in the process I got hooked again. Lelde raced in sprint events, but we competed together in the two-hour endurance races. In the first year, we were in the ‘ABC Race’ class, and later in the ‘V1600’ class. A couple of years ago, I bought back the BMW and began preparing it for the ‘BTC3’ class, now with a petrol engine. This year, I plan to complete a full season in the ‘BTC3’ class in sprint races, as well as in the ‘BTC1’ class in the two-hour events. Last year, as a team, we got three silvers; this year, the goal is three golds!”

What is your motorsport dream?

“Historically, my dream, together with Mārtiņš, was to take part in the Dakar Rally Raid. Why? Because it’s relatively accessible for semi-amateurs to participate in a high-level, world-class motorsport event, whereas it costs an enormous amount of money for amateurs to break into the world elite in basically any other discipline. It’s a pragmatically chosen dream, because anything else would be too expensive for me.”

Which track gives you the greatest satisfaction?

“I haven’t raced on that many circuit racing tracks – five, I think. I didn’t really like Finland’s Botniaring track; it reminded me of the ‘Top Gear’ track. It’s a cool track, but it didn’t spark any excitement. Of the Baltic tracks, I like them all, especially Biķernieki—it offers plenty of room for battling, more so than Kaunas, where I lack the nerve to execute overtaking maneuvers. I also like Pärnu for its sense of calm, since it’s hard to get yourself and your car into serious trouble there. But my first choice is Biķernieki!”

What is your daily life like beyond the roar of engines?

“I define myself and my company as a provider of various engineering services. We operate in three directions: architecture, via an architecture and design company; the main branch of my business is as a co-owner of ‘Tech Baltic,’ a railway engineering company; and the third is that my colleague Lelde runs ‘LDV Construction,’ a road design company.”

Outside of business, you also have a political career.

“My desire to work in state or city administration has been there since high school—a form of self-realization and public service. At 24, I began working at the Riga City Council under Jānis Birks. My political involvement led me to the transport sector, where I’ve stayed active for the past 15 years. And this year, I’m returning to the Riga City Council elections. Over the years, I’ve gathered knowledge and proposals on how to help the residents of Riga. Among other things, I believe that we can organize high-level touring car races in the center of Riga, which would spark interest among residents and also provide economic benefits to the city’s budget. I believe that if the city administration is willing, Riga can easily host European-level circuit racing events and make it an annual event, becoming a highlight for tourism development in Riga as well as for its residents. That is my little dream