On 5 September, a fun event took place – TILSTA Retro Rally ’26.

Thirteen crews lined up at the start – from two brave motorcyclists and a small Mini Cooper to elegant convertibles and large SUVs, which seemed unafraid of puddles or even Lithuanian marshes.

This year, the weather decided to become another rally participant – we had rain, wind and sunshine. Fortunately, at the most important moments, the sky gave everyone a chance to breathe. The oars we had jokingly promised to bring were not needed after all.

The 286-kilometre route started at the Tilsta office in Vilnius and led through King Mindaugas Bridge, Lake Balžis, Balingradas Bridge, Punžionys Exposure, Pabradė, Cirkliškis, Švenčionėliai, Kaltanėnai, Molėtai, Alanta, the Puntukas suspension bridge and, finally, to the finish line on Apple Island.

Over 6–8 hours, the crews had not only to complete the route, but also to take part in various challenges and tasks. There was everything – excitement, surprises, rescue efforts and true tests of team spirit. But most importantly, all crews reached the finish line.

To ensure a fair competition, the rally was supervised by competent organisers, while special tracking equipment made it possible to monitor each crew’s journey, adherence to the route and completion of tasks.

After the results of the challenges, speed, penalties and tasks were added up, the winners of TILSTA Retro Rally ’26 were announced:

1st place – Ernesto Stonys’ crew

2nd place – Rokas Grinaveckas’ crew

3rd place was shared by two teams, which collected an identical number of points – Mindaugas Mikoliūnas’ crew and Eduardas Grinaveckas’ crew.

After 286 kilometres, numerous tasks and changing weather conditions, the greatest victory was not seconds or points, but good company, team spirit and many stories that will be fun to remember for a long time.

Thank you to all participants and to everyone who contributed to this adventure.

Next year, we hope for even more crews, even more excitement and even more great emotions.

See you at the next TILSTA Retro Rally ’27!