Reinis Nitišs

REINIS NITIŠS: YOU CANNOT GO FAR ON THREE WHEELS

LOHEAC, FRANCE
02/09/2018

In hot and sunny weather, the fourth round of the 2018 FIA European Rallycross Championship for Supercar class concluded today in France. Reinis Nitišs had a good showing overall – third in the intermediate classification, followed by a second place in his semi-final race, giving him a second row start position in the final. There, the luck turned on the Jēkabpils native – after some contact in the first corner, he damaged a half shaft, making it impossible to set fast lap times, having to settle for sixth place.

Two qualifying heats took place today, with Nitišs setting the third quickest time in both. On the last run, after contact with Raymond, the car shut off, but luckily fired back up a moment later. As it turned out, there was some dirt in the turbo system, causing problems with how the car runs. Mechanics managed to fix the issue, with Nitišs arriving for his semi-final at the last possible moment. Still, he managed to have a good run even against strong competition that included Raymond and Marklund, finishing his semi-final in second place.

After a good start in the final, there were some harsh battles in the first corner, which resulted in a broken half shaft for the Latvian driver. With a damaged car, Nitišs was unable to be competitive and finished sixth.

? RESULTS_ SCE_official_FRA_2018
? STANDNGS_ SCE_points_FRA_2018

“On one hand, I am happy with my result, as it is not always possible to get on the podium. On the other hand, it could have been better, as we definitely had the speed to compete for a spot on the podium or even the victory. However, I also understand that we barely managed to fix the issues from Q4 in time for the semi-final – had I arrived to the pre-start grid a moment later, the race would have ended for us. Now we have to take a deep breath, do a calm and calculated drive in the final round and finish the season on the high note!

Thanks to the SET Promotion team who did a fantastic job – even if we lacked a bit of outright speed in Q1, it was possible to improve for every single race and get closer to the leaders. It is unfortunate that we could not finish the job in the final, losing everything in the first corner, but that is motorsport – you cannot win every race.

Greetings to all the Latvian fans – both in the stands and those by the TV screens. Thank you for the encouragement and support! See you soon in our home round – just two weeks until Biķernieki will host the final round of the European Champiosnhip!” says Reinis Nitišs after the final.

Reinis Nitišs participation in the FIA European Rallycross Championship is possible thanks to the support by Radex, LDz Cargo, Ošukalns, Citadele, Circle K, Latvijas Gāze, and the city of Jēkabpils, as well as Gefa Latvija, Hertz, If, Light Guide Optics International, Pasaules Optika, RA Events, Rīgas Brīvosta, and Sonora. Informative support is provided by DELFI.

Final round of the FIA European Rallycross Championship will take place in CSDD Biķernieki track in Latvia, on September 15-16.