This weekend, July 5–6, the modern Porsche Ring circuit will host the grand circuit racing festival “Pärnu Summer Race.” More than 100 of the strongest drivers from the Baltic region will gather in Pärnu, Estonia, to compete for victories and podiums in Round 3 of the Baltic Touring Car Championship. The event will also feature a spectacular field of historic formula cars, and mark the return of the “Baltic Time Attack” series, aimed at fast street cars.
The weekend for drivers and teams begins on Thursday and Friday with practice sessions, followed by the main events on Saturday and Sunday, including qualifying and thrilling races. For spectators, Saturday promises to be the most intense, featuring the Baltic championship sprint races – notably the fan-favorite BMW 325 CUP class, with over 20 cars on the grid.
In the BMW 325 CUP – where all drivers race identical BMW 325 E90/E92 generation cars – the competition is extremely close between the three Baltic countries. After the first two rounds, Estonian Ragnar Simuland leads with 152 points, followed closely by Latvian talent Matīss Maļinovskis (142 pts) and experienced Lithuanian, two-time BTC3 class champion Aurimas Mištautas (140 pts). Latvian legend Jānis Horeliks, Lithuanian Darius Gaidulionis, and multiple Polish champion Karol Wyka are also podium contenders. Two fast Latvian youngsters debuting in the class – rallycross star Adrians Apsītis and promising rally driver Kārlis Dzenītis – could also shake up things.
In the new BMW TURBO CUP (modern G20 BMW 330i) there will likely be fewer participants than previous rounds, but exciting battles are expected between Lithuanians Mantas Jasiulevičius, Algirdas Gelžinis, and Latvian Artjoms Kočlamazšvili. The GT class will again showcase spectacular cars including Porsche, Ginetta, Maserati and Nissan. After several years, Finnish driver Mika Virtanen rejoins the Baltic Championship in a special Renault Megane V6 Trophy, a car that raced in the prestigious Eurocup Mégane Trophy, whose champions include 2024 DTM champ Mirko Bortolotti.
Around 20 cars will line up for the Baltic Touring Car (BTC) class race, which delivered some of the most spectacular battles during the opening rounds in Kaunas and Riga. In BTC3 (up to 3L engines), a duel is expected between Lithuanians Tomas Jatkevičius and Artūras Kliobavičius, both racing BMWs, with Estonian Simo Lind (Honda Civic) aiming to challenge them for the first time this season.
In BTC2 (up to 2L), Estonian Kairo Kallas (Honda Civic) leads with five wins from five races, but Lithuanian rivals will try to break his perfect streak. In BTC1 (up to 1.6L), Lithuanian Tomas Buskevičius (Honda Civic) is also undefeated, but Latvian Valdis Kikusts (Honda Integra), with several 2nd places, is pushing for his first win.
One of the most budget-friendly classes in all of motorsport, V1600, is gaining momentum and will see a record 11 drivers in Pärnu. Veteran Mareks Matvejevs (Opel Astra) is undefeated, but Nauris Agafonovs (last year’s ABC Race champion, Toyota Yaris) and the always-fast Viesturs Ozols (Toyota Yaris) will be key challengers. Jānis Straupe (Mini Cooper) and young Emīls Daugaviņš (Ford Fiesta) also seek podium finishes. In the ABC RACE class, held together with V1600, the close title battle continues between Arturs Daņiļevskis (Peugeot 206) and Roberts Ozoliņš (Honda Civic).
After Saturday's sprints, Sunday will feature three different championships. The most exciting for fans may be the Estonian Historic Formula Championship, with over 20 participants from Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Poland and the UK. Alongside classic Easter and Mondial formulas, there will be OPEN class formulas with F3 and F4 machines – a rare sight in the Baltics in recent years.
Over 20 teams will also compete in a combined “Hankook Endurance Challenge” and “Nankang Endurance Academy” two-hour endurance race, open to one or two drivers per car. The fiercest battle will be in the BMW 325 CUP class with 7 teams, while overall victory in the prestigious “Hankook Endurance Challenge” will be fought for by Porsche Latvia Racing Team, Baltic Karting Academy, and Reimpex by GSR with powerful Porsche and Ginetta race cars.
Throughout Sunday, the renewed “Baltic Time Attack” series will also be on track, bringing together top Time Attack drivers from all three Baltic countries, including Estonia’s “Best Lap”, Latvia’s “Superlaps”, and Lithuania’s “Ring Challenge”. These drivers compete not wheel-to-wheel, but for the fastest lap times in powerful street-based cars.
Tickets for the “Pärnu Summer Race 2025” auto racing festival are available for just €15. They can be purchased in advance at apmekle.lv/en/events/view/344 or on-site at the Porsche Ring circuit during the event weekend. Children under the age of 12 can attend free of charge. For full event details and schedules, please visit the official website at balticracingseries.eu/events. Stay up to date with the latest news by following Baltic Racing Series on social media – facebook.com/balticracingseries and
instagram.com/balticracingseries.
Pärnu Summer Race 2025 schedule:
Saturday, July 5
10:00–11:00 – BaTCC Qualifying
11:25–14:25 – BaTCC First Races
15:30–18:30 – BaTCC Second Races
Sunday, July 6
10:30–11:30 – Baltic Time Attack Session 1
11:35–12:00 – Formula Historic Race 1
12:40–13:55 – Baltic Time Attack Session 2
15:00–17:00 – HEC and NEA 2h Endurance Race
17:20–17:45 – Formula Historic Race 2
18:00–19:15 – Baltic Time Attack Session 3