The word combination “Samsonas Motorsport” is known all over the world – only on the continent of Antarctica we are unlikely to find Lithuanian sports gearboxes or shock absorbers. However, there is another similar combination that is best known in Lithuania and the British Isles. It is the “Samsonas Rally”.

“Samsonas Rally Utena”, which will take place on September 27 and 28, 2024, will be the eighteenth rally event named after the Utena-based company that manufactures parts for motorsport. The whole epic began in 2015, when the Samsonas Motorsport team, with the help of another organizing crew, created the then unique “Samsonas Motorsport Rally Utena 2015”, which became the third event of the Lithuanian car rally championship. Numerous invited guests from all over the world, cars never driven in Lithuania before, such as the Mini John Cooper Works WRC, live broadcasts with live stage end interviews – these are just some of the innovations of the event, which has left a bright spot in the history of the Lithuanian rally.

A few years later, the name “Samsonas” became part of Rokiškis, which appeared on the Lithuanian rally map. The organizers of the “300 Lakes Rally” moved out of Zarasai and settled in Rokiškis. Since the first event in the north of Lithuania, the name “Samsonas Rally Rokiškis” has always been famous in the rally community. As always, the connections of “Samsonas Motorsport” have contributed to the fact that such famous names of the rally world as Toni Gardemeister, Juha Salo, Teemu Asunmaa, Frank Kelly, Egon Kaur, Mārtiņš Sesks or even the world football legend Santiago Cañizares have been invited to the event. The partnership with Rokiškis lasted five years. In addition, the Lithuanian Mini Rally Championship event, which took place in nearby Juodupė, was also named “Samsonas Rally Juodupė”.

Before we travel further in time, it is necessary to mention that the name “Samsonas” is not only found in the names of rallies in Lithuania. Since the spring of 2017, the “Samsonas Rally Fivemiletown” has been held regularly in Northern Ireland, held on gravel, which is rather rare in Ireland. This rally is a event of the Northern Ireland Gravel Championship, which brings together a large group of competitors from Ireland and Great Britain, both with the legendary Ford Escort and with FIA equipment. Martynas Samsonas himself was a guest here, as was multiple Latvian champion Janis Vorobjovs. The Omagh Motor Club organized the competition again this year.

Back on the Lithuanian rally scene, “Samsonas Motorsport” has been cooperating with the Zarasai Motor Sport Club – ASK “Akseleratorius” since 2020. This joint team from Utena and Zarasai created the final events of the Lithuanian Car Rally Championship in 2020 and 2021 near Zarasai under the names “Around 7 Lakes” and “Rally Aukštaitija”. Since then, the step that started the whole epic of the “Samson Rally” has taken place – the rally returned to Utena. From 2022, the country is famous for the name “Samsonas Rally Utena”, which, like the previous events in Zarasai, is the final and strongest chord in the Lithuanian car rally championship.

RalisStart. Nr.VairuotojasŠturmanasAutomobilis
Samsonas Rally Fivemiletown 20246Niall McGonigleCaolan McKennaFord Fiesta R5
Samsonas Rally Utena 20234Karl Peder NordstrandJorn ListerudŠkoda Fabia Rally2 Evo
Samsonas Rally Fivemiletown 20231Mark DonnellyStephen O’HanlonFord Fiesta R5
Samsonas Rally Utena 20224Sami PajariJanni HussiŠkoda Fabia N5+
Samsonas Rally Fivemiletown 20221Desi HenryPaddy RobinsonFord Fiesta Rally2
Rally Aukštaitija 20215Dominykas ButvilasRenatas VaitkevičiusŠkoda Fabia R5
Samsonas Rally Rokiškis 2021200Valeriy GorbanSergey LarensMini John Cooper Works WRC
Samsonas Rally Juodupė 202175Tadas ViliūšisDaumantas VasiliauskasBMW 328
Samsonas Rally Around 7 Lakes 20206Martynas SamsonasErvinas SnitkasFord Fiesta N5+
Samsonas Rally Juodupė 20201Karolis BalčiūnasErikas SevriukovasSubaru Impreza GT
Samsonas Rally Rokiškis 20201Nikolay GryazinKonstantin AleksandrovHyundai i20 R5
Samsonas Rally Fivemiletown 20204Janis VorobjovsIvo PūkisBMW M3X E46
Samsonas Rally Rokiškis 20191Vaidotas ŽalaAndris MalnieksŠkoda Fabia R5
Samsonas Rally Fivemiletown 20196Niall McCullaghRyan McCloskeyMitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX
Samsonas Rally Rokiškis 20185Vaidotas ŽalaAndris MalnieksŠkoda Fabia R5
Samsonas Rally Rokiškis 20171Janis VorobjovsIvo PūkisMitsubishi Mirage RS Proto Evo II
Samsonas Rally Utena 20155Alexey LukyanukAlexey ArnautovMitsubishi Colt 4WD

REMĖJAI