Elfyn Evans and Scott Martin lost the lead of Rally Sweden twice, once to Takamoto Katsuta and once to Ott Tänak, but by the time the crews rolled into the stop control on the final Friday stage, the Toyota Gazoo Racing crew held a 0.6 second lead over Katsuta who won stage five and took the overall lead.

Evans struck back one stage later before succumbing to Tanak’s flying Hyundai i20 N on stage seven, dropping to third overall.

The final stage may have only been 5.1km long but it was enough for Evans to end the day clinging on to the lead from his on-form Japanese teammate.

The Welshman started the day in fine form, with the temperatures recording -12°C, bagging the opening stage scratch time before Hyundai’s coming man Adrien Fourmaux took two stage wins on the trot to keep Evans very much on his toes and under pressure.

Thierry Neuville and Ott Tänak both complained of understeer, as did Kalle Rovanperä and Grégoire Munster in the lead M-Sport Ford Puma. All four bled time throughout the morning.

At the midday service, Evans led Fourmaux by 1.9 seconds with Tänak 4.3 seconds behind and 2.2 seconds ahead of Katsuta, the top four blanketed by 8.4 seconds. The leading Ford Puma belonged to rookie Rally1 driver Josh McErlean and Eoin Tracey, something of an indictment on Munster’s performance.

After service and some tweaking Katsuta, Tänak, Neuville and Evans each took a stage win and by the end of the day’s action, the top five were covered by 9.1 seconds!

Sami Pajari was flying on the day’s opening stage but gave a Valentine’s kiss to a snow bank, pulling a tyre off the rim which cost 40 seconds as the Yaris limped through the stage.

The other youngster in the field, Latvian Martins Sesks built up his speed over the day, recording the third fastest time on stage five as well as stage six as he builds his confidence of rallying on snow and ice and ended the day the fastest of the M-Sport quartet.

In Rally2, Oliver Solberg has a 20.7 second lead over Roope Korhonen having won five of the day’s seven stages. Georg Linnamäe lies third, some 45 seconds off the pace in spite of winning stage six.

Positions after SS8:

1. Evans, Katsuta +1.9, Tänak +3.6, Fourmaux +9.3, Neuville +14.3

The post Elfyn Evans clings on to Rally Sweden lead appeared first on Motorsport Week.

M-Sport Ford has announced that Mārtiņš Sesks and Renārs Francis will compete in six rounds of the World Rally Championship this season behind the wheel of a Rally1 Ford Puma.

The 25-year-old Latvian’s first event is Rally Sweden next month, followed by Portugal, Sardinia, Greece, Estonia and Finland.

Sesks stunned fans and peers alike with his maiden appearance in Poland. Claiming the second-fastest time on Friday’s opening stage, Sesks kept close to the championship leaders throughout the weekend, and despite running the less powerful non-hybrid Puma, he finished his first Rally1 outing in fifth overall.

 Sesks’ full-hybrid debut in Latvia was even more impressive, claiming his maiden stage win on the third stage of the rally and going on to spend most of the weekend fighting for the podium positions, cruelly denied a maiden podium with a last stage technical issue.

Support for Sesks’ 2025 campaign comes from his personal sponsors as well as M-Sport’s sponsor SafetyCulture.

Richard Millener, Team Principal, M-Sport Ford World Rally Team, said:

“I think Martins made a lot of new fans in a very short space of time last season, and now to think that those two performances have allowed him to find a six event programme this year is fantastic.

 “Obviously without the support of his own sponsors, and SafetyCulture, this year wouldn’t be possible. A big thank you goes to all involved, as well as a mention to the WRC Promoter, who helped to raise the budget for the events last season. The culmination of all this support has come together to deliver what we see today.

“I am really excited to see what can be achieved by Mārtiņš and Renārs this year. Chile was a reminder that it won’t all be plain sailing, but I know that the speed he has shown, plus his determination and character, will make him a fantastic addition to our 2025 line-up.”

SafetyCulture’s founder Luke Anear , said:

 “Martins is a natural talent. He has an X-factor in his driving and his approach to the sport is refreshing. He has demonstrated that he has the pace to beat the best in the world, so it’s going to be exciting to see him at the top level again in 2025.”

The young driver is excited about the new development in his career path.

“We are very excited to continue our collaboration with the M-Sport Ford World Rally Team this year! We feel truly honored that our debut in the WRC’s Rally1 league last year has fostered such trust from both M-Sport and SafetyCulture. Additionally, the genuine interest from both long-standing and new sponsors from Latvia in supporting our efforts is very thrilling!

“This opportunity provides us with immense motivation to further our journey in the WRC’s Rally1 class. As we look ahead to the 2025 season, we anticipate many new challenges, but we are more motivated than ever and ready to learn, all while bringing joy to our fans. The chance to compete half of the 2025 WRC season promises to deliver invaluable experience for the years to come.

“Our goal is to add one more event with the Puma to our current list, the rally in Saudi Arabia. Therefore, we will be actively working throughout the season to secure the financial support necessary to make this goal a reality.”

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After stunning the WRC fraternity on their non-hybrid Rally1 debut in Poland and Rally1 Hybrid debut in their home event in Latvia, Mārtiņš Sesks and Renārs Francis have been handed the keys to the M-Sport non-hybrid Puma for WRC Rally Chile Bio which takes place from 26^th September.

Sesks made his debut in rallying’s top level WRC machinery in Poland behind the wheel of the non-hybrid Puma starting a dream debut which saw him claim one second-fastest and multiple top-five times throughout the event, even without the additional power boost from the hybrid unit. Sesks finished the event in an incredible fifth-overall and immediately built strong global interest for his next appearance on his home event, Rally Latvia.

 Upgrading to full hybrid power in Latvia, Sesks astounded fans and his fellow drivers alike, claiming not only his maiden stage win, but also a second stage win on Friday morning, and continued to fight for podium positions throughout the entire weekend.

The two incredible results allowed Sesks to find additional funding to allow for another opportunity in Rally1. Rally Chile, the last gravel round of the championship, will give the young Latvian a chance to show his speed on unfamiliar roads. Although Sesks should benefit from familiar smooth and fast sections found in Rally Chile, the South American event is still a big challenge having never competed at the event before and having to make new pacenotes from scratch. The chance to compete in the event with the Puma is a great addition for not only Rally Chile themselves, but also the WRC.

Sesks’ third opportunity to drive a Rally1 car in Chile is a testament to the continued commitment of the WRC Promoter in nurturing young talent into the top-flight category. Their ongoing support for emerging drivers has been pivotal in his breakthrough performances in Poland and Latvia, underscoring their dedication to advancing his career.

Richard Millener, Team Principal, said:

“Mārtiņš made a strong impression in his previous two events with us, so it’s a pleasure to welcome him back to the team in Chile. This will undoubtedly be a challenging event, completely different from the previous ones. With no prior experience on this tricky rally, it’s no easy task, but it’s a great opportunity for him to showcase his versatility and further establish himself as a future talent. We hope this experience will bolster his ambition to become a regular name in the Rally1 class.”

 Malcolm Wilson OBE, M-Sport Managing Director, said:

“It’s fantastic to be working with Mārtiņš again. His performances in Poland and Latvia impressed a lot of people and I’m very proud that M-Sport can offer him another opportunity to develop his skills in Rally1 machinery.”

“We’ve done a lot over the years to support upcoming drivers, and I think Mārtiņš has shown he can be part of this next generation of top-level drivers.”

 Mārtiņš Sesks said:

“We are very grateful for the opportunity to drive a Rally1 car again, just two months after our previous rally. It’s been an incredible adventure so far, and the experience of driving keeps getting better. Competing in Chile in a Rally1 car is truly amazing, so I’d like to give a big thank you to M-Sport and the WRC Promoter for their support and cooperation.

“Of course, it will be quite a challenge, especially starting with a non-hybrid Rally1 car in a rally like this, on slower gravel and at high altitude, which is tough on both the car and the driver. It will be demanding, but we love challenges. Once again, we’ll be the underdogs, driving a rally we don’t know with a non-hybrid car. But I believe we are ready, and everyone is motivated to give our best performance, taking on another great adventure this year with M-Sport. We’re looking forward to it.”

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Latvia’s Mārtiņš Sesks will benefit from the support of WRC Promoter and M-Sport Ford, earning a Rally1 drive behind the wheel of an M-Sport Ford Puma Rally1 for Orlen 80th Rally Poland and a full-spec Rally1 HYBRID on his home stages at Tet Rally Latvia.

Twenty-four-year-old Sesks was confirmed as a recipient of the support this morning (22 April) and now has just over two months to await his Rally1 debut at ORLEN 80th Rally Poland (27 – 30 June).

Sesks’ two-event Rally1 programme marks the first steps in WRC Promoter’s work in supporting drivers in bridging the jump to rallying’s premier category. To run the first event in Poland in a ‘new for 2024’ non-hybrid Puma Rally1 in preparation for a Rally 1 HYBRID in Latvia is designed to fully leverage the stepping stones available to the top class.

A former FIA Junior WRC runner-up in 2020, Sesks has developed into one of the FIA European Rally Championship’s (ERC) elite drivers, excelling on gravel. The Latvian has won the two previous editions of Tet Rally Liepāja, which were run on similar roads to this year’s Tet Rally Latvia. He also claimed victory last summer on Rally Poland when it featured as a round of the ERC.

Remarkably in 2022, Sesks won every stage of Tet Rally Liepāja – mirroring the performance of WRC legend Sébastien Loeb who achieved the same feat at the Tour de Corse in 2005.

“We identified the need to put more resources into supporting the next generation of potential WRC world champions and assisting them in making the challenging step from the support categories to our sport’s highest echelon,” enthused WRC Promoter’s Senior Director of Sport, Peter Thul.

“Mārtiņš’ performances in the past two seasons of the ERC have deemed him a worthy recipient of this support. He has demonstrated a winning edge in Latvia and Poland and we believe that with time, he will become a regular face in the WRC.”

“I’m very pleased to be working on this project with Mārtiņš and WRC Promoter, making use of the new regulations for 2024 allowing us to run the Rally1 cars without the hybrid unit,” expressed M-Sport Ford team principal Richard Millener. “Not to mention this being a more cost-effective solution for customer drivers, it allows drivers like Mārtiņš to make the step up to Rally1 more comfortably so that we can widen the Rally1 field.

“Mārtiņš has an impressive resume and is a perfect candidate for debuting this new non-hybrid strategy. It was a good opportunity to give him the seat time in Poland before competing with full hybrid on his home event. It will be fantastic to see Mārtiņš able to drive the best rally cars in existence in front of his home fans.”

Sesks said: “I am sincerely grateful, as it is a dream come true to join forces with the M-Sport Ford World Rally Team and WRC Promoter for this remarkable opportunity to advance from Rally2 to Rally1 level. I must admit, it takes saying it twice to fully believe that we will soon be competing alongside the world’s most elite drivers with Rally1 machinery. “The journey to this point has been a massive effort of many people, particularly my family, whose rallying legacy dates back to my grandfather’s inaugural event in Liepāja in 1965. Now, 59 years later, I have the opportunity to participate in the same rally but as a WRC event.”

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It’s all about new in the FIA European Rally Championship this season with new events, new drivers, new teams, new cars and new rules. And it all starts this week when the city of Veszprém hosts V-Híd Rally Hungary from 12 – 14 April.

Now all-gravel having used asphalt stages in the past, V-Híd Rally Hungary forms round one of the eight-event ERC season

As well as counting for overall ERC points, V-Híd Rally Hungary is part of the FIA ERC3, FIA ERC4, FIA Junior ERC and the new-for-2024 Fiesta Rally3 Trophy schedules.

The ERC’s four tyre partners, Hankook, Michelin, MRF and Pirelli will contest the inaugural FIA European Rally Championship for Tyre Suppliers.

Eight manufacturers of FIA rally category cars, Citroën, Hyundai, M-Sport-Ford, Opel, Peugeot, Škoda, Toyota and Volkswagen are represented.

ERC’s big three return
The ERC’s top three from 2023, Hayden Paddon, Mārtiņš Sesks and Mads Østberg, are all back to chase more European championship success.

Defending champion Paddon, who is embarking on his 19th season with co-driver John Kennard, has re-signed for the Pirelli-equipped BRC Racing Team to drive a Hyundai i20 N Rally2.

The New Zealander said: “John and I will have targets painted on our backs with other competitors striving to beat us. We expect a tougher fight this year, but John and I will look to lift our performances on some of the events we will now have experience of – it will be an exciting year.”

While Latvian Sesks continues his partnership with MRF Tyres, he switches from the Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 he used to claim two wins in 2023 to an all-new Toyota GR Yaris Rally2.

“There will be a learning curve as the team familiarises itself with the new car, and we anticipate additional challenges, such as increased Tarmac stages throughout the season,” Sesks said. “Nevertheless, we are committed to thorough preparation and hard work to ensure a strong season, continually learning and evolving along the way.”

Norwegian Østberg’s TRT Racing Team will fit Michelin tyres to his Citroën C3 Rally2. After winning the Rally Hungary season closer in 2023, the one-time WRC event winner hopes to carry that momentum forward into 2024.

“I loved the ERC last year, it’s a great championship but the level of competition is very strong,” Østberg said. “It’s not only two or three drivers fighting for the win but it can be up to 10 drivers fighting for the win so it’s an amazing championship with very nice TV coverage. I’m really happy to take part again.”

But it’s not just Paddon, Sesks and Østberg in the chase for ERC success. Jon Armstrong, Hungarian hero Miklós ‘Mixi’ Csomós, Mathieu Franceschi, Mikko Heikkilä, Efrén Llarena, Andrea Mabellini, Miko Marczyk, Filip Mareš, Simone Temestini and Simon Wagner are among the others drivers that are expected to run at the front on V-Híd Rally Hungary.

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