Autumn has arrived without us noticing, we've had some great gale-force winds and an incredible amount of water has fallen from the sky. The world is changing at every turn, and thankfully, man is outmatched by nature. Otherwise, mankind would be able to screw a lot of things up.
What has happened to us at the EAL recently? First of all, I can confirm that the structure of our federation is in order, we are positive in both image and word, we are organising worthy competitions, we are keeping our finances under control and we are working hard to make the next seasons even more successful. We are receiving commendations for our activities from the FIA and other international organisations. All this is important!
The Estonian championships in several motorsport disciplines have come to an end, but there are still plenty of big international events to come. Let's take a look at what has happened in motorsport since I last wrote in June. Despite a number of setbacks, Ott Tänak and Martin Järveoja are firmly on course for WRC victory, while Romet Jürgenson and Siim Oja won Junior WRC gold medals. Robert Virves and Georg Linnamäe have got a foot in the door of the WRC class, and Janno Siitan has taken over the energetic leadership of the EAL Rally Committee. The best news for all rally fans is that Rally Estonia 2025 is back on the WRC calendar.
Andres Arnover brought home a bronze medal in acceleration from the European Championship, as did Marko Muru in the RX2 electric car class of the rallycross series.
Maiko Tamm finished the season of Europe's strong RallyX rallycross series in third place overall in the 4WD Open class. A number of our rallycross aces, drift racers and e-car racers also performed well. Grassroots sport lives its bravura life and from time to time we get some talented drivers from there. In karting, there is a steady stream of high placings in each of the different series, and the key to this success is the very strong backbone of karting in the form of young drivers, their families and teams. Markus Kajak is the absolute top man in the sport, having won the fastest CIK-FIA KZ2 class at the German Championships and recently finishing second on the podium at the Champions of the Future in Portugal. The World Championship starts are just around the corner and I believe Markus will win a medal.
There was also a milestone anniversary! 90 years ago, on 16 September, the second Estonian Grand Prix was held in Tallinn, at the Pirita-Kose-Kloostrimetsa circuit. In this context, I would like to remind you of how much we need a new circuit that meets international standards, but being a realist, there is no good news in this area today. The national budget is under extreme pressure, and the funding of motor sport is also under equal pressure with everyone else. I hope that we will still hear of some small developments in the coming years, but probably not in terms of state funding. In this respect, I would call on the private sector to get involved, just as is happening in many foreign countries. Today, we must make maximum use of the opportunities offered by Pärnu, the Porsche Ring and neighbouring countries, and at the same time I expect active action from the EAL's circuit committee. It's no secret that a strong sub-committee is a guarantee for any motorsport and by and large we are doing well with sub-committees.
Despite the meagre training conditions at home, we can be proud of our circuit riders, as Paul Aron, who had been in a "black hole" in the meantime and dropped from F2 leader to fourth, is improving his position strongly, and Jüri Vips was able to participate in the IndyCar Series championship stage again after a long time.
The ALM Honda Racing team became the TCR Europe Series Champion and Ruben Volt finished 4th individually in a very close competition. Martin Rump has made a number of good starts in international championships.
The Plenary Session of the Estonian Olympic Committee will meet as early as 11 October 2024 to elect new IOC leaders, from the President, to the Vice-Presidents, etc. Knowing that the EAL is also a legal member of the IOC ( like most sports federations ), the elections are also important for us. The old folk wisdom says that every company is the face of its owner and according to this wisdom we have to make the right decision when it comes to electing the top executives, because for the next 4 years they will be the ones who will strategically lead the whole Estonian sport together with the Executive Committee. Our participation in the work of the governing bodies would be important, because if the voice of motorsport is not heard there, we will not be able to get support for our ideas and future plans.
I believe in motorsport and I know that in 2025. At the traditional EAL Awards Gala in early 2024, we will all be able to see that 2024 has been a success for us.
Have a great season and show the world what little Estonia can do!
Toivo Asmer
EAL president
