Ducmanis: Future of Baltic circuit racing lies in mass-participation budget classes

Jānis Ducmanis, chairman of the Circuit Racing Commission of the Latvian Automobile Federation (LAF), believes the future of circuit racing in the Baltic region lies in mass-participation, budget-friendly single-make classes, where all drivers compete in identical cars. He said this in an interview marking almost 20 years of work in the commission, the last 10 as its chairman. The interview was published in an LAF press release.

Path to organiser

Ducmanis began racing in 2006 in the National class. He recalls growing up in Riga's Mežciems district, with a view of the Biķernieki track's start/finish straight. He was invited to join the commission by Andis Meilands, the originator of the National class. Together they took over organising the Baltic championship; in 2011 the opening round at Biķernieki had 46 drivers in seven classes. At that time nobody else in the region wanted to organise such events, as they often lost money.

Classes and participants

The most successful class has been BMW 325 CUP, with up to 50 cars on the grid at some rounds. Ducmanis says its popularity has dipped slightly, but the past year's trends suggest stabilisation, and a small increase is hoped for in 2027. He explains that large regional teams find it ever harder to persuade clients to race in the Baltics, so spectacular GT-class cars may be an addition rather than the foundation of the championship.

Outlook

Ducmanis cites the declining Baltic population and the small number of tracks, so he does not forecast significant growth. He sees stable technical rules, affordable budget classes, quality race management and cooperation with neighbouring countries as the basis for continued development. He was re-elected in spring 2024 for a term until spring 2028 and says he will judge his work by the number of licensed circuit racers.