Gurklys racing for redemption as he aims to ‘finish what we left unfinished’

Entering the fray as a comparative unknown on the international scene, Gurklys was a revelation during the course of his rookie campaign in Euro RX3. Behind the wheel of his Audi A1, the young Lithuanian produced a sensational performance in torrential conditions in round two at Höljes, keeping his head while others lost theirs to triumph by more than ten seconds – an eternity in rallycross terms – and in so doing, solidly stake his claim as a title contender. 

Gurklys prevailed again in the season finale in Istanbul – by a similarly sizeable margin – and was the only competitor in the category to advance to the final in all five events, but he was left to rue a first corner clash with João Ribeiro at Finland’s KymiRing, where the NG Racing Team driver had topped the post-heats classification.

Had the pair finished that race in the same positions they started it, Gurklys – not Ribeiro – would ultimately have been crowned champion. It is something that the 2025 runner-up is determined to rectify over the coming months.

“My aim for 2026 is to finish what we left unfinished,” he unequivocally asserted. “I had a chance to become champion last year, and one incident cost me the title. That was the saddest point in the season for me, but it wasn’t just about Finland. I made a mistake in Hungary and was a little bit off the pace at Lousada because it was my first event in the European Championship, so I struggled a bit there mentally.

“I have to be more consistent over the full season and not just quick in individual rounds like Türkiye and Sweden – everything needs to come together and if I’m going to fight for the championship, I need to not make mistakes.”

In evidence of his commitment, Gurklys has clearly been hard at work over the winter not only preparing his car, but also preparing himself for the challenge that lies ahead. The likes of Dylan Dufas, Jan Dvořák, Libor Teješ and Markus Røsrud have all already thrown down the gauntlet, setting the scene for a tense title tussle – but the 17-year-old insists he is ready for anything.

“I’ve been doing a lot of training and lost ten kilos of body weight, and we have been making sure the car is working properly,” he revealed. “The Audi was great last season, but we’ve made a few modifications to try to improve it further.”

Barely ten weeks now remain until the action gets underway at Rīga’s historic Biķernieku trase on 9-10 May – an event that Gurklys regards as something of a home round, hailing as he does from just 250km over the border in Jurbarkas. He is eager to start as he means to go on... 

“That’s the one I’m most looking forward to,” acknowledged the rising star. “I’ve driven something like 1,000 laps around that track, and it will be cool to see a lot of fans from Lithuania there. I’m very happy this circuit is on the calendar – it will be a massive weekend for me.

“I really like Höljes, too – it was amazing to win there last year, and it would be nice to have rain again because we know we have a great car set-up for those conditions! I’ve never been to Lohéac before, but I like the look of it from what I’ve seen on YouTube and elsewhere and it seems the grip level is quite similar to Latvia, so I feel I can be fast on that track. 

“Obviously, I’m not thinking that I will just turn up and take the title – it will be a tough battle, but nobody has won the European Championship in their first year so I’m not really afraid of newcomers. I’m excited to get going, and we will see where everyone stands when we get to Rīga...”