Together on the road to victory: racing driver Karolis Raišys and footballer Eligijus Jankauskas

The moment of victory lasts just a few seconds. Applause, the roar of the crowd and the win in your hands – behind it lie countless hours of work, focus and determination. The athlete's daily life, the endurance and dedication that lead to every victory, often remain invisible to spectators. OWEXX's advertising campaign "Together on the road to victory" aims to thank athletes and their teams – not only for their victories, but also for this invisible side of sport, for the road that leads to them. This time, FA Šiauliai footballer Eligijus Jankauskas and racing driver Karolis Raišys talk about their sporting journey, daily work and victories.

Racing driver Karolis Raišys: motorsport demands the ability to adapt to completely unforeseen things

"One of my biggest motorsport achievements is preparing for the 2025 Dakar Rally. I remember very clearly that we did what seemed impossible – we prepared a car for the race in such a short time. No one expected it – not even me – that it would work. A preparation that usually takes a year or more was completed in six weeks, very unexpectedly, with very unexpected acquaintances and help from others." – says Karolis Raišys about one of the most impressive events in his career. He is a multiple Lithuanian rally champion, multiple winner of Rallye Monte Carlo Historique, and third-place finisher in the Dakar Classic category at the Dakar Rally.

The fact that what seemed impossible was achieved is also evidenced by K. Raišys's account of how complex the behind-the-scenes preparation for a competition can be. "The difficult side of motorsport often remains invisible – that's the preparation for rallies. It's an expensive sport, its financial side is complicated, it requires a lot of preparation, finding partners, because it would be impossible alone."

Currently preparing for the 2026 Dakar Rally, the racing driver says that although this side of motorsport is difficult, it also brings pleasure. And the hardest thing, after all, is finding balance. Balance in speed, in technique, in yourself and your psychology, in your physical abilities. Under ideal conditions, preparing for a competition should involve maintaining a proper routine, getting good sleep, exercising, but, says K. Raišys, theory and practice in motorsport are very different: "In reality, it all ends with weeks of sleepless nights. <…> Preparation for a competition is very dynamic, you need to be able to adapt to completely unforeseen things and 'squeeze out' the best possible under the given conditions."

K. Raišys has been in motorsport since childhood. The racing driver says it was a dream from a time he no longer remembers. Having replaced toy car models with real ones, K. Raišys says that in motorsport he is most inspired by the connection between car and human, that unconditional unity, testing one's abilities and limits in particularly difficult conditions, at high speeds. He is also inspired by pursuing results, stepping out of his comfort zone and finding abilities within himself that he probably wouldn't know he had under normal conditions. "And rally is fascinating because it takes place in various weather conditions, on various surfaces and in various parts of the world <…>. Rally takes place on ice, on snow, on gravel or asphalt; in mountains and on plains, in winter and in summer." – says K. Raišys.

Racing is life in the present, at the moment of the race, enjoying the moment. Of course, says the racing driver, it's good and warm when people support you. "It's nice when people come up afterwards [after the race – author's note], congratulate you. You feel that someone cares, and support messages are very nice too. <…> And during the race – living in that moment, in that race."

Footballer Eligijus Jankauskas: about kicking a football since childhood, the challenges that arise and what inspires him on the path of a professional footballer

Lithuanian champion and member of the Lithuanian national men's football team Eligijus Jankauskas, who represents FA „Šiauliai“, began his professional football career right here in Šiauliai. As the athlete tells it, football entered his life back in childhood: „Football came into my life unexpectedly. From an early age I was a very energetic child, so when my mum saw that football training sessions were being held quite close to our home, she took me there with the goal of keeping me busy and channelling all that energy into them. From childhood on I never tried any other sport, because football was what I really loved. I remember very well that even at home I could hardly bear to be parted from the football, and my parents would get quite cross that I was kicking it around the house (smiles).“ And to this day, the athlete says, football is what he enjoys, what delights him and what „drives“ him.

Daily training sessions, the right routine for recovery afterwards and time with teammates – this is the athlete's everyday life, which, according to the footballer, he enjoys. „Training takes place at the same time every day <…> beforehand we always gather an hour early so that the team members can talk among themselves and prepare for training. <…> After the training itself come the recovery procedures.“ The athlete says that being in the locker room, all the jokes and pranks with teammates and the trips are what inspires and delights him on the path of a professional footballer. Of course, victories also drive him forward, which, as E. Jankauskas puts it, are like dopamine – you want more and more of it, so with every victory comes the desire to achieve new ones.

Asked what is hardest in this sport, the footballer says it is injuries, from which, unfortunately, no one is protected. „There are difficulties everywhere,“ says E. Jankauskas. „We also have competition, which everyone has to overcome <…>. We also feel the pressure that comes from our environment because of the results achieved, so a footballer must always be prepared and strive to become better every day.“

This is the behind-the-scenes side of sport that the viewer does not see. Playing matches with a fever, on a few hours of sleep, enduring pain – the athlete says that footballers go through many different things off the pitch. The player recalls a situation that arose quite recently, when half the team's players were ill with a virus for a whole week, only 9–10 people took part in training, yet despite all that, all the players found the strength within themselves and, having recovered just a day before the match, turned up and won it.

„Football has always been and is played for the spectators who come to support their favourite team. We, as that team's footballers, want to give them good emotions and a memorable experience. Besides, when I defend my city's honour, there is always a desire to give twice as much back to those spectators who sacrifice their time and come to support us. These are very important people who always drive both me and the team forward.“ – E. Jankauskas speaks about the importance of support in sport.

OWEXX advertising campaign „Kartu kelyje į pergalę“ – a thank-you and support for Lithuanian athletes

The OWEXX advertising campaign „Kartu kelyje į pergalę“ is dedicated to thanking Lithuanian athletes and their teams for their hard work, their victories and for making Lithuania's name known around the world. The campaign also aims to encourage people to support and back the country's athletes, to tell their stories and the behind-the-scenes side of sport, and to popularise sports that receive undeservedly less attention.

The faces of the advertising campaign are athletes from various sports – representatives of men's football and basketball, women's basketball, rugby, golf and rally. The athletes' will and determination, their efforts to achieve the best results – these are things worthy of gratitude and pride.