Caune and Svencis head to China for season's longest eco-rally stage
From September 9 to 14, Krišjānis Caune and Edgars Svencis will represent Latvia at the FIA Eco Rally Cup round in China, the furthest and longest race of their career so far. The crew is aiming to hold onto a top-ten spot in the world cup standings after strong results in Latvia and Scotland.
The X3000 Skandi Motors Racing crew of Krišjānis Caune and Edgars Svencis will compete in the FIA Eco Rally Cup 2026 round in China from September 9 to 14. It is the longest and one of the most demanding stages of this season's calendar, and the first time the Latvian crew has raced on the Asian continent — roughly 7,280 kilometers from Riga.
Over six days the crew must complete a 1,130-kilometer route, including 255 kilometers of competitive regularity sections. The event begins on Wednesday, September 9, with administrative and technical checks in Hefei, followed by racing from September 10 to 14 through the cities of Anqing, Chizhou, Huangshan and Xuancheng, finishing in Wuhu. Final results and the awards ceremony are scheduled for September 14.
Recent results
Two rounds ago in Latvia, Caune and Svencis won the regularity category. That was followed by a top-ten finish in Scotland, where Caune competed alongside Liepāja's Uldis Hmieļevskis. Those results secured the crew's place among the top ten in the world cup season standings and earned them a start in the China round.
Caune noted that some competitors in China already raced there last year, making the fight for leading positions tougher this time. Svencis said this will be the crew's first trip so far from home, requiring them to adjust to a five-hour time difference, adapt to a different car, and rely heavily on precise navigation as a key to success.
The FIA Eco Rally Cup is a regularity rally series for electric vehicle crews, with final results combining penalty points from regularity sections and an energy-consumption coefficient. The 2026 season includes 11 rounds across several countries, with the eight best results counting toward the overall standings. X3000 Skandi Motors Racing plans to compete in nine rounds this season, heading to Spain, Portugal and Italy after China.
