2025-06-30
Eimantas Navikauskas and his team are aiming for another victory
Countdown Begins for the 26th “Aurum 1006 km powered by Hankook” Endurance Race in Palanga.
As the race approaches, more teams are revealing their final lineups. Preparations are in full swing in the garages, with teams fine-tuning their strategies and eagerly awaiting intensive pre-race testing.
Among the confirmed entries is the “Stokex Circle K Miles Plus” team, which has completed its registration. The team’s drivers – Domas Raudonis, Arūnas Gečiauskas, and Eimantas Navikauskas – will compete in the GT3 class behind the wheel of a crowd-favorite: the #71 Audi R8 GT3 EVO II.
This team and their car are seen as serious favorites for the overall victory. Many expect them not just to reach the podium, but to stand on the top step.
"That’s exactly what we’re aiming for when we hit the track on July 16th," says driver Eimantas Navikauskas, who is preparing for his sixth start in Palanga.
Eimantas recalls last year’s 25th anniversary race, where his Circle K Miles Plus Racing Team, also driving the Audi R8 LMS GT3 EVO II, finished second overall – just one lap behind the winners after more than eight hours of racing.
At that time, Eimantas Navikauskas shared the second step of the podium with Justas Jonušis and Simas Juodviršis.
For Eimantas, victory in Palanga is more than a dream – it's a reality. In 2023, he claimed the top spot alongside his Stateta BRO by HMobile teammates Anders Fjordbach, Jan Magnussen, and Edvinas Žadeikis, driving a Mercedes-Benz AMG GT3 EVO to victory.
His first Palanga victory came back in 2022, when, racing for Circle K – Lesta Racing Team alongside Marijus Mazuckas, Julius Adomavičius, and Ignas Gelžinis, he not only lifted the trophy but helped set multiple race records.
This year, the hopes of the "Stokex Circle K Miles Plus" team seem even more realistic, as its drivers—D. Raudonis, A. Gečiauskas, and E. Navikauskas—are well-known racers not only in Lithuania but also on European circuits.
Photos by Vytautas Pilkauskas and Andrius Laucius