M-Sport Ford will run three cars in the next round of the World Rally Championship in Chile, with one driver making his return.
Martins Sesks is set for his third outing in the WRC with the team, having made his debut at Rally Poland and competed in the following event at his home nation of Latvia.
Coming in second in the European Rally Championship last season with two wins and four podiums, the 25-year-old immediately impressed in the WRC, registering second in his first ever stage in Poland and finishing fifth overall.
Sesks was even more impressive in his home event, as he collected his first stage wins at stages three and four. The Latvian had been challenging Sebastien Ogier and Kalle Rovanpera for most of the event, but a technical issue on the powerstage denied what could have been a maiden WRC podium.
Martins Sesks is hoping for a ‘trouble-free race’ at Rally Chile
M-Sport managing director Malcolm Wilson admitted thinking the ‘pressure would bury’ Sesks on his debut, but after two brilliant performances, the team were keen to get him back into the Ford Puma Rally1 machine.
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And for Rally Chile, Sesks will get another chance to prove himself in the WRC as he will compete alongside full-time drivers Adrien Fourmaux and Gregoire Munster.
Speaking with DirtFish ahead of Rally Chile, Sesks outlined his approach to the event and what the ‘most important thing’ is in what will be his last outing in 2024.
“We are coming back to the mindset we had in Poland,” he said.
“Again the rally is new for us, also the characteristics of the rally are also new to the Rally1 car without the hybrid. We know for the fast rallies it doesn’t make a big difference but here in Chile, we know that hybrid should help more than it was in Poland.
“We’ll just start the event and we’ll see where we are. Then we will understand what our pace is, what the pace of the non-hybrid car is, and we’ll take it from there. Because at the moment no-one really knows.
“The most important thing is to show we can have a trouble-free race. That’s the aim for us, to just finish the race without any troubles because I think that’s what worth the most, that we can manage these long, hard rallies.”
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Hyundai look set to win both WRC championships in 2024
With three rounds of the 2024 season to go, the championship is in the hands of Hyundai after an impressive performance at Acropolis Rally Greece.
The Korean manufacturer registered a one-two-three finish with Thierry Neuville winning his second rally ahead of Dani Sordo and Ott Tanak. The result leaves Neuville leading the standings by 34 points ahead of teammate Tanak.
Sebastien Ogier and Toyota endured a torrid weekend, with the Frenchman falling to third behind Tanak by four points. Team principal Jari-Matti Latvala has urged his drivers to forget about their title hopes, as the team now sit 35 points behind Hyundai in the manufacturers’ championship.
With only three events left to go in Chile, Central Europe and Japan, it will take a miracle for Toyota to fight back as Neuville looks on course for his maiden WRC title.