After a five-year break, one of the most beloved events for motorsport fans in Latvia is making a roaring comeback. From August 29–31, the Bikernieki track will once again host the “WashCar Riga Summer Race” – a high-octane racing festival that promises three adrenaline-filled days, featuring more than 150 drivers from across the Baltics, Scandinavia, and Central Europe. Spectators can also look forward to an exciting show and, of course, the much-anticipated appearance of rally star Mārtiņš Sesks in the two-hour “Hankook Endurance Challenge”.
The highlight of Saturday will be the fifth and penultimate round of the Baltic Touring Car Championship (BaTCC), with sprint races that are expected to be some of the most intense of the season. The fight for the 2025 championship titles is heating up – and nowhere more than at Bikernieki.
In the championship’s newest category, the BMW TURBO CUP, featuring the latest generation G20 BMW 3 Series, Latvian Artjoms Kočlamazšvili currently leads the standings and will be aiming to strengthen his position in front of the home crowd. But closely in his rearview mirror he has two Lithuanians – Algirdas Gelžinis and Mantas Jasiulevičius.
Meanwhile, in the most competitive and action-packed class of the BaTCC – the BMW 325 CUP – rising Latvian star Matīss Maļinovskis is in the thick of the title battle. Having scored six podiums in eight races so far, including a win at the previous Riga round, he now sits third overall. With his proven pace on home soil, Maļinovskis will be looking to close the gap on Lithuanian contender Aurimas Mištautas and Estonian leader Ragnar Simuland.
The BTC classes are also expected to deliver close battles, with the leaders Tomas Buskevičius (BTC1), Kairo Kallas (BTC2) and Arturas Kliobavičius (BTC3) at the forefront. The V1600 class boasts a particularly strong lineup this season, led by veteran Mareks Matvejevs and last season’s ABC Race champion Nauris Agafonovs. But young guns like Estonian Ruudi Reinumagi and Latvian Emīls Daugaviņš have shown flashes of speed this season as well.
The loudest and most beautiful action of the weekend will come from the powerful GT classes, featuring world-class machinery such as Mercedes-AMG GT3, Lamborghini Huracán and Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars. Many of these cars will also line up for Sunday’s headline event – the “Hankook Endurance Challenge”, a two-hour endurance race that promises a stunning and loud motorsport show. As mentioned earlier, Mārtiņš Sesks and Artūrs Šimins will also line up for the two-hour race, driving a Lamborghini Huracan ST EVO 2 race car prepared by well-known Lithuanian racer Ramūnas Čapkauskas.
Sunday’s racing program also features the Estonian Formula Historic championship, currently enjoying a renaissance with strong entry numbers and exciting on-track battles. For the first time in Latvian circuit racing history, the popular Lithuanian “Ring Challenge” series will also make its debut at Bikernieki, with rounds in both circuit racing and Time Attack formats.
Speaking of Time Attack – this event will also host the third and final round of the 2025 “Baltic Time Attack” series season. Open to road-legal cars, this competition focuses on drivers setting the fastest possible lap times. Want to go from spectator to participant? Join the Time Attack grid – more information is available at www.balticracingseries.eu.
To make the event enjoyable for the whole family, organizers are preparing a range of entertainment between sessions, as well as new on-site features to improve spectator comfort and experience. Expect fan zones, kid-friendly attractions, and even access to the paddock area, where fans can get up close to the race cars, meet the drivers, and explore the teams behind the action.
The “WashCar Riga Summer Race” is organized by the experienced “Baltic Racing Series” team, in collaboration with the national motorsport federations of Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia. The event is supported by “WashCar”, “MELT”, “Petronas”, “Hankook” and “Nankang”.
Tickets will soon be available at www.apmekle.lv, with two options:
• Standard 2-day ticket – €15
• 2-day ticket with paddock access – €25
In the spirit of a truly family-friendly festival, the entry for children under 12 will be for free.
Mark your calendars for August 30–31 and don’t miss Latvia’s biggest circuit racing festival – “WashCar Riga Summer Race” at Bikernieki! For more info, visit www.balticracingseries.eu/events and follow updates on Facebook: Riga Summer Race.