Rally Leipaja, based in Latvia, was the host of the final round of the European Rally Championship.
Chris Ingram and Radstock’s Ross Whittock drove a clean rally to finish second overall and second in the Under-28 Championship. This event, known throughout the world as one of the fastest rallies, ran over two days and twelve special stages, all on gravel roads. The nature of the terrain gave no space for mistakes, as leading cars were averaging over 70 mph on most stages.
The fight was on from the beginning between the Skoda of Ingram/Whittock and Kreim/Christian, the German crew, both fighting to secure first or second place. Ingram and Whittock made their mark early on, but Swedish star, Fredrik Ahlin, had other ideas, with a late charge to upset the placings. He managed to edge in front of Kreim to secure a podium finish 5.5 seconds behind Ingram and Whittock.
Young Latvian star, Nikolay Gryazin, took first place, putting local knowledge to good use.