Earlier today it was confirmed that Mārtiņš Sesks will contest Rally Poland and Rally Latvia in a Rally1 Puma.
A Golden Ticket
2023 European Rally Championship Vice-Champion Mārtiņš Sesks will get an opportunity to drive a Rally1 Puma in Rally Poland and his home event of Rally Latvia. Sesks has been one of the top stars in the ERC in recent years. As previously mentioned he finished second in the championship last season, between two former WRC stars Hayden Paddon and Mads Østberg. This opportunity for Sesks has been partially funded by the WRC Promotor. This is a part of the championship’s attempt to get more drivers into a Rally1 car. Sesks is expected to join M-Sport regulars Adrien Fourmaux and Grégoire Munster at the two events.
Sesks History
Mārtiņš Sesks began his rally career in 2013 in Latvia. Since then Sesks has worked his way through the ranks in Latvia and surrounding countries like Estonia. In 2017 Sesks made a one-off appearance in the ERC Junior category where he placed 2nd in class at his home event of Rally Latvia. In 2018 he contested a full Junior ERC season, winning the Junior and ERC3 championships. Between 2019 and 2021, Sesks contested the full WRC Junior championship, finishing 10th in 2019, 2nd in 2020 and 3rd in 2021. In 2022 Sesks made his top-flight ERC debut and took home his first ERC event win at none other than Rally Latvia.
A Hybrid-Less Car
Mārtiņš Sesks will drive a hybrid-less Rally1 Puma at Rally Poland. This is for him to learn the car without the added hybrid boost before getting a full hybrid car in Latvia. This will be the first time a hybrid-less Rally1 car will contest a WRC event since it was allowed before the season. However, it is worth noting Alberto Heller ran with the hybrid unit disconnected for part of Rally Chile Bio Bio last season.
What To Expect From Sesks
It’s unlikely Sesks will be one of the top runners at Rally Latvia. As he will still have a huge experience deficit in the car. However, he will have much more experience with the roads and the event. This likely won’t offset the lack of experience in the car. Nevertheless, Sesks could surprise and set some top five or top three stage times at the event. It’s also worth noting that Sesks has won Rally Latvia in the ERC the past two seasons. As far as Rally Poland goes, Sesks will be the slowest Rally1 car. This is because of the previously mentioned hybrid-less car. How much slower the car will be without the hybrid is unknown. In a fast-flowing event like Poland, the lack of hybrid boost will be much more noticeable than in a more technical event like Greece.