Latvian Rally Team to Compete in Inaugural Saudi Arabia WRC Finale
RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA – Mārtiņš Sesks and co-driver Renars Francis will embark on uncharted territory this week as they compete in the final round of the 2023 World Rally Championship (WRC) – the first-ever WRC event held in Saudi Arabia.The Latvian duo, piloting a Ford Puma Rally1 prepared by M-Sport Ford, will join 40 other crews for a challenging four-day rally featuring 17 stages and 319.44 kilometers of competitive driving.
this event marks a significant expansion for the WRC, bringing the high-octane motorsport to a new audience in the Middle east. For Sesks and Francis, it represents their seventh WRC stage of the season and a crucial opportunity to build on their growing experiance within the highly competitive Rally1 class. The Latvian team currently holds 12th place in the overall WRC standings with 16 points.
Sesks’ 2023 season has included a sixth-place finish in Sweden, eighth-place results in Estonia and Finland, and a victory in the fourth stage of the European Rally Championship (ERC) in Poland. Previous WRC appearances this year saw 15th-place finishes in Portugal and Greece, and a retirement in Sardinia due to an accident.
The rally begins with practice runs at 10:01 Latvian time, followed by a single 5.22-kilometer speed stage on Wednesday at 19:35,broadcast live on “Go3 Sport 2.” Subsequent stages will commence on Thursday at 7:08, Friday at 7:26, and Saturday at 7:35.
Heading into the final stage, Elfyn Evans leads the overall WRC championship with 272 points, closely followed by Sébastien Ogier (269 points), Kalle rovanperä (248 points), and Ott Tänak (213 points). Sesks made his WRC debut last season, achieving a fifth-place finish in Poland and seventh in the inaugural WRC Latvia rally, before continuing in Chile for training purposes after an incident.
