Craig Breen and Scott Martin , who had finished qualifying second, chose to start the first stage from 14th position. The first day of the race took place in difficult snow and rain conditions, on treacherous and sometimes very wet roads. However, this first day went off without a hitch for the Irish pilot. Unlike his main rivals, Kajetan Kajetanowicz and Alexey Lukjanuk , Craig Breen did not make any mistakes and set 4 of the 5 fastest times. At the end of the first day, he was more than a minute ahead of his rivals.
The second day was also very challenging, especially due to the heavy snow that made visibility difficult for all crews. Craig Breen still maintained his lead and took his second victory in the European Championship after last year's Akropolis Rally . This win is also perfectly timed for the entire Peugeot Rally Academy team ahead of Rally Ireland , which will bring Craig to his home island. He commented: "I can't wait for the rally on my home ground! I am very happy with the result in Latvia as the conditions were not easy all weekend. During the first stage the snow melted between the two passes and the surface was very treacherous. The 208 T16 handled perfectly and demonstrated exemplary reliability. When everything works, it's easy to go fast and it's nice to win again!”
For Diogo Gaga and Jorge Carvalhe , the Latvian Rally was the first race of their Peugeot Rally Academy programme. This first experience was challenging as the Portuguese crew went off track in the second stage, but managed to return to the assistance team for help. Thanks to the excellent work of the mechanics, who managed to return the 208 T16 to its original condition, Diogo Gago finished the junior race in seventh place and gained valuable experience for the next races of the season: “I am very happy with my debut at the Peugeot Rally Academy. I would like to thank the whole team who did an excellent job after my incident in the first stage. The aim was to stay out of trouble and finish, but it wasn't easy to get up to speed and set good times without making a mistake. Overall, I feel good about my first rally and I'm really looking forward to gaining experience again in the next race."
The third ERC race will be held in Ireland, where Charles Martin will join the Peugeot Rally Academy at the wheel of the 208 T16 . Until then, the winner of the 2014 208 Rally Cup will have the opportunity to familiarize himself with his car at the Rallye du Touquet , the first race of the 2015 French Rally Championship.
Source: Peugeot
