M.Samsonas / E.Snitkas – Rally in the 100 Acre Wood

After such a short break, Martynas Samsonas flew to the United States again to show how Lithuanians drive 🙂

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What does rallying in North America look like from the inside? What are the culture and working principles like there? Are things very different from Europe?

Rallying in America is – let us say – different. You get the feeling that they want to do things differently than the FIA. Sometimes it’s better, sometimes I do not even know what to say. For example, we had to take an additional test, even though you can also start in the WRC Rally Mexico with our licenses. Then we had to install car extinguishers and catalytic converters in the BMW. There’s no need for an undershirt, underwear, or even FIA boots and gloves not required. There are some oddities. Everything else is just different, but to be honest, there are moments that are even better than in Europe. I would say that Southern Europe is already spoiled, they imagine that there is nothing better, so they do not bother. Southern Europeans do not prepare for foreign guests, they do not care at all. Both Italians and Spaniards. Manjana Domani… I have said a hundred times that there is no better place than Northern European rallies, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, and Finland. Now others have realized that. In America, one of the more interesting moments is that they try to do something different, more convenient, more skillful, and more interesting, although they do not always succeed. For example, the Administrative Commission takes place on a “drive-through” basis. We drive in a reece car, we approach a building and we are welcomed there from the left and from the right, we are given what we need. 3 minutes and we are free. Anyway, all people here are nice and sophisticated. We used the “RallySafe Lite” system for reece and rallying, they explained to us what the maximum speed is, how far you can go before getting a penalty, and so on. I really liked the virtual braking zone. Well, I liked it because it is the most interesting solution. Really simple. Maybe it’s too easy for a driver, because it does not matter where you slow down, whether it’s 5 yards or 195 yards. In Lithuania, you have to stop exactly at that point – no further. In any case, something like this should be very interesting for the organizers in Europe, because there is no need to set up these braking zones, monitor them and later manage the excavated roads.

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From the photos, it looks like you received a very warm welcome from many people in the USA. What is your personal and professional relationship with the USA?

Yes, there are a lot of people there. But we also have a lot in Lithuania. At the merchandise tent, there was a line of several hundred meters at the opening of the rally. They bought everything and are very active as spectators, and as fans. They come, they talk – wow, what a beautiful car, what a beautiful color… At some point, I had to hide a little bit from everybody. At the rally, the percentage of working relationships is small, but for me personally, they are the biggest and warmest. Since I do not go anywhere else without doing a rally, it’s natural. It seems that everyone there knows each other, it’s nice. They come and ask how to adjust the car, and I say – “men, just adjust the gas pedal” 🙂

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Rally in the 100 Acre Wood is pretty well known in the U.S. for its extremely fast stages, water crossings and special spring atmosphere. What impression did the location of the rally leave on you? What kind of stages are there on the other side of the Atlantic?

Well, if someone asks if it was worth it, I would say 100%. The stages are a lot of fun. There are no jumps, but – as an example – 1 stage, maximum 1 intersection. You just ride the whole stage in 4-5-6 gears. The surface is smooth. There is some Lithuanian softness, but it does not wash out, and the grip is very good. The stages are really a lot of fun.

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Tell us more about the fuel used in rallying and its differences. You mentioned that you had problems last year until you started using the P1. And what happened last weekend in the U.S. that caused the car to stall? Could that have been avoided?

We were using the same fuel also for Škoda Fabia N5 last year. I do not want to get into that because it’s not very nice – and we are not 1000% sure. We only know that with that fuel at that time also some R5/Rally2 cars burned engines. We then switched to “P1 Fuels” the problem disappeared. It’s hard for me to explain why it happened with previous fuel.

In the USA, things were different. Sports fuel is no different there than it’s here in Lithuania. Everything we have is available there. I just can’t and won’t explain too much because of the many nuances. Roughly speaking, it didn’t work out. Since the car was delivered with our engine program for our fuel, it was agreed in America that it would be tuned to the sports fuel of their choice. When we arrived, the situation was different. It’s really not funny, but it was too late to change anything and I knew we wouldn’t reach the finish line.

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Tell us more about the journey of the BMW M3 E36 to the USA. What future awaits this legendary car in the States?

The car was bought by our agent on the condition that we could do some racing in the USA. I don’t know exactly what the future holds. It’s a very fast, clean, beautiful, and very well-maintained car. I’d like it to stay that way. Loved and cared for.

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Many U.S. rally fans are interested in your driving skills. Are you still promising to come back to the U.S. to race this year?

I writing the answer after rallying in Spain, so we’re still a bit tired from all the travel, flights, and other nuances. I can’t say yet about plans in the USA. I want to focus on the Lithuanian championship and pay more attention and time to our Škoda Fabia N5 car. Also, I want to prepare well myself.

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Photos – David Cosseboom, North America Rally