The State of Latvia will be celebrating 100 years in 2018.
Since Motor Cycling as a pastime is well over 100 years old, we have decided that we should celebrate the Jubilee of Latvia with another “Kurland Rally”.
The event will be organized from 12th – 15th July 2018 and it will start at hotel “Sigulda” which will also be our 1st night accommodation hotel, like at the 2017 event.
This year’s Kurland Rally will be the 11th event since 2003 when it was first started, that is 15 years ago. The event has seen different formats in the past, Timed event, event with a Hill Climb and since 2009 it is Untimed – a Road Reliability Trial of Man and Machine. Hence special interest in older pre-war motorcycles as the usually longer distance of around 500 to 600 kilometers is a real test for riders of earlier machines.
As Latvia is mostly a flatland territory the Road Run routes are planned so that even veteran machines can be used for the Rally as I have tested myself, riding my 1913 REX/JAP De Luxe motorcycle at 5 “ Kurland Rallies” and always finishing...
The event has grown from a 2-day 300-kilometre event to a 3, and finally a 4-day event with up to 600-kilometre riding distance. Actually the name “Kurland Rally” has become a brand name, symbolizing travelling in Latvia on historic motorcycles, visiting historic castles, landmarks and places of interest, experiencing fantastic food, cheap but good beer and unique musical performances of the local performers.
The “Kurland Rally” concept and organizing committee were tested to the limit in year 2013 when this rally was organized as FIVA World Motorcycle Rally in Latvia with 80 participants from 12 world countries on the official Entry List. Since then the number of entries at the
“Kurland Rallies” has been kept down due to lack of large enough hotels on some picturesque routes that we would like to travel on.
If you have not been to Latvia before, then 2018 is the year to visit Latvia and the “Kurland Rally” is the historic motorcycle Event to ride in.
Please follow the “Rally News” for more information.
Yours on a motorcycle,
Juris Ramba
Rally Entry Secretary
