Männama & Lepik won the MudEST RallyRaid in Estonia
By Stephan Wolf
On May 11, Ida-Viru County (northeastern Estonia) hosted the traditional MudEST competition, which has been organized at least since 2018.
This race modernizes its format almost every year and uses elements of trials, off-road racings, cross-country rallies. This year’s event is known as the MudEST RallyRaid.
The route of the 2024 race included two special stages of 92 km and 80 km (172 km in total). The route turned out to be various and used almost all possible types of surface - stone fragments of the former shale quarry, gravel and soil roads, narrow and tight earth-mud roads in the forests.
Both special stages were arranged in a small area - in a square of about 10 by 10 kilometres. According to some participants, the track is somewhat similar to the Italian Baja route - lots of downhills and uphills. The stability of the competitor and his ability to keep the maximal average speed are very important.
There were 61 competitors starting the race - 10 in the Car Open category, 12 in the UTV/SSV category, 7 on ATVs and 32 on bikes (they were divided into two groups based on weight, MOTO<180kg and MOTO>180kg). Representation by country - Estonia (46 participants), Lithuania (9), Latvia (4), Poland (1), Finland (1).
At the start, it was possible to see several drivers who were successful at Fenix Rally and Rallye Breslau last year - for example, Hardo Mere on HM7 Proto and Rainer Rüütli on Honda TR3. In addition, Urvo Männama from Rally Raid Estonia started on the newest Can-Am Maverick R.
The race became a serious test for drivers and co-drivers - a compact and complicated track, hundreds of turns, difficult fragments (rocks, mud, stumps on the roadsides), a lot of secret waypoints. Interestingly, there were an overall standing, in which all participants were classified without exception - both on cars and UTVs, as well as on motorcycles with ATVs.
The overall winner was the crew of Urvo Männama and Risto Lepik on the Can-Am Maverick R, almost five minutes ahead of Lauri Junkin on the Husqvarna FE350. Finishing third was Rannar Uusna on a KTM 350 EXC F.
Urvo Männama: “It was great to be back racing again after Dakar, which ended badly for us. The event is the only rallyraid event in Estonia and therefore we cannot miss it. Luckily my brother loaned me his new Can-Am Maverick R, which proved to be a very nice vehicle. We had no issues during the 2 stages and finished safely with the fastest time. Next year organizers aim to do a longer race so I hope to see more international participants so we can enjoy some cross country rally action in our part of Europe also.”
Jonas Raudeliunas: “Estonia offered us tracks with dry hard clay, soft muddy peat, breathtaking rocky hills with many ups and downs. In forest sections, drivers had to challenge to save tyres on the small cutted trees ends. It was a demanding attention track. Most of the work was dedicated to co-drivers. Many corners with small distances and interesting corners. Few were marked with - “find your own way”. Overall - it was a really good weekend, track length was made as it should be - to feel pleasure of driving. Organization was perfect, tracks market correctly, navigation accurate. Hope to get another event in this area, maybe with a night stage”.
Hardo Mere: "I participated in this race with my navigator, Piotr Kuyawski from Poland. For us, it was like a training session for the Rallye Breslau, which will take place at the end of June. We really liked the track, which was almost 200 kilometers long. I participated there last time as well, but the car broke down at the 30th kilometer, so we couldn’t drive for long. This time, everything worked out for us, and it was like a test for the car after the winter rebuild. We got first place in our class there, despite facing some minor issues, but our competitors had more problems. Next year, we will definitely try to participate again. This race is quite new, and since we are located far from central Europe, not many foreign participants came here. There were many Lithuanians, participants from Latvia, Finland, and my competitor from Poland, who will also compete in the Rallye Breslau. I would really like the organizers to make the race longer next year, with two full racing days, to make it more appealing for other participants to come here."
Rytis Juodsnukis: “The terrain was very diverse, from black soil to stones. The landscape is very similar to Baja Italy. There are many steep descents and ascents. The weather was good. The participants were very friendly. The navigators had to work hard because the entire route in a small section had a lot of turns”.
Andrei Rudnitski: “I participated in this race for the first time, it’s a popular annual event. It’s quite democratic in terms of car admission, with a speed limit of 90 km/h, so practically adhering to traffic regulations. The locations are amazing! Seven Lithuanian crews started! We were driving with Darius Žitlinskas, but we were a bit unlucky, as we hit a stump. Hopefully, we’ll manage to repair the car for the next races. The race turned out to be very interesting from all perspectives, and I really enjoyed it. I would like to see a Baltic countries championship in the future, including this race, as well as rounds in Lithuania and Latvia, and it would be great to add one round in Poland. I think such a championship would have good potential”.
Overall winner
Männama/Lepik (EE, Can-Am Maverick R) 02:42:55
Average speed 63.35 km/h
Car OPEN winner
Mere/Kujawski (EE/PL, HM7 Proto) 02:55:43
Average speed 58.73 km/h
UTV winner
Männama/Lepik (EE, Can-Am Maverick R) 02:42:55
Average speed 63.35 km/h
ATV winner
Valdo Tutt (EE, Can-Am Outlander XU+ 570) 04:59:11
Average speed 34.49 km/h
MOTO>180kg winner
Salvis Beteris (LV, KTM 790 Adventure R) 03:05:30
Average speed 55.63 km/h
MOTO<180kg winner
Lauri Junkin (EE, Husqvarna FE350) 02:47:47
Average speed 61.51 km/h
Photo Credits: Raido Kull
