Polish crew wins Rally Sarma overall classification for the first time

On February 7 in Gulbene, the traditional winter rally Rally Sarma 2026 came to an end. By winning all special stages, the overall victory was convincingly claimed by Polish champion Jakub Matulka together with co-driver Damian Siti, competing in a Škoda Fabia RS Rally2. They became the first Polish drivers to win the overall classification of Rally Sarma, joining the list of winners that already includes such names as two-time world champion Kalle Rovanperä, WRC2 world champion Oliver Solberg, and others.

After the rally, Jakub Matulka said: “This really was a very good rally. After the off-season break, we found our rhythm and confidence. The special stages were a great combination of wide and fast roads, as well as many narrow ones. I hoped we would fight for podium positions, but I did not expect to win all the stages and the overall classification. I truly hope we will return to this rally, as I like the atmosphere and the roads, and I also hope Latvia returns to the WRC calendar.”

An equally solid second place was taken by Estonian driver Karl Martin Volver. Starting with car number one, he had to face significantly more difficult conditions and perform the so-called “road-cleaner” role. However, even during the second loop, the winner of the first round of the Latvian Championship was unable to improve enough to beat Matulka on any special stage.

Throughout the rally, an intense battle took place for the remaining spot on the podium. The main contenders were Briton Philip Allen, Latvian Ralfs Sirmacis, and Estonian Josep Ralf Nõgene. Allen made a mistake on the penultimate special stage, while Nõgene was slightly faster than Sirmacis, who was the only one of the three not competing in a Rally2-category car. After nearly 100 kilometers of special stages, Nõgene finished the rally just 2.67 seconds ahead of Sirmacis. Taking advantage of Allen’s mistake, Aron Domżała of Poland, the runner-up of the previous championship round, finished in fifth place.

In the two-wheel-drive (2WD) classification of Rally Sarma 2026, following the crash of fast Estonian driver Markus Tammoja, the fight for podium positions was taken over by 15-year-old Estonian youngster Lukas Leivat and the two-years-older Estonian Travis Pärs. Although results were inconsistent for all competitors in this class, victory was claimed by Lukas Leivat with co-driver Kauri Pannas, driving a Ford Fiesta Rally4. The third step of the podium was taken by Estonian Aaron Nau. During the middle part of the rally, Kristers Cimdiņš also tried to break into the podium positions but was unable to maintain the pace. As a result, Kristaps Laipnieks finished fourth overall, followed by Kārlis Dzenītis in fifth place. Sixth place went to 13-year-old Polish youngster Bruno Urmo Grics, competing under a Lithuanian license.

Rally Sarma 2026 was the second round of the Latvian Rally Championship, Historic Rally Championship, Rallysprint Championship, and the Latvian Cup.

Championship results by class:

LRČ1:

1st – Karl Martin Volver; 2nd – Aron Domżała; 3rd – Kalvis Blūms

LRK2:

1st – Aron Domżała (Poland); 2nd – Vaiko Samm (Estonia); 3rd – Elvis Hermanis

LRK3:

1st – Artur Długosz (Poland)

LRČ4:

1st – Lukas Leivat (Estonia); 2nd – Travis Pärs (Estonia); 3rd – Bruno Urmo Gryc (Poland, competing under a Lithuanian license)

LRK5:

1st – Kalvis Blūms; 2nd – Edijs Bergmanis; 3rd – Mārtiņš Ločmelis

LRČ6:

1st – Aaron Nau (Estonia); 2nd – Kārlis Dzenītis; 3rd – Viesturs Tilgass

LRK7:

1st – Kristers Cimdiņš; 2nd – Mairo Tiks (Estonia); 3rd – Kerli Vilu (Estonia)

RSK8:

1st – Mārtiņš Ķikusts; 2nd – Kristaps Dzīvītis; 3rd – Guntis Lielkājis

RSK9:

1st – Kristaps Laipnieks; 2nd – Miks Ķenavs; 3rd – Martins Jēkabsons

VRK11:

1st – Vigo Rubenis; 2nd – Ivars Velme; 3rd – Intars Rezakovs

VRK12:

1st – Dovilas Čiutelė (Lithuania); 2nd – Sandis Boks

VRK13:

1st – Artur Laul (Estonia)

Team classification:

1st – Fristads/KNautosprint Rally Team; 2nd – KURLAND Motorsport Team; 3rd – Baltic Motorsport Promotion

Full Rally Sarma 2026 results are available on the Latvian Rally Championship website autorally.lv.