Martins Sesks wins Rally Poland

Leader since the 5th special, Martins Sesks was able to perfectly master the difficult conditions of the second stage to win the event. He is ahead of Hayden Paddon and Mikolaj Marczyk. At the wheel of his Fabia Evo, Mathieu Franceschi finished in a solid 6th place.

Published on 21/05/2023 à 18:00

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For this 2nd stage, the organizers had innovated by introducing new sectors. A loop of 4 sections had to be completed twice, with one section in the morning and another in the afternoon. 78,22 timed km made up the final route of this 3rd round of the season.

If the first day had offered a nice battle for the leading position between Martins Sesks and Hayden Paddon, the match ended in the 2nd SS when Hayden Paddon, who had reduced his delay from 8”2 to 7”4, was victim of a puncture. Suddenly pushed back to 13''3 behind Martins Sesks, the New Zealander preferred to concentrate on the points for 2nd place.

Bien que débarrassé de la menace de la Hyundai i20 Rally2, le Letton continuait de rouler sur un rythme élevé, signant quatre meilleurs temps supplémentaires. Le jeune pilote (23 ans) de la Skoda Fabia RS Rally2 ne commettait pas de faute et il achevait l’épreuve en tête. Vainqueur de l’ERC Junior U27 and ERC3 in 2018, Sesks who started his career in 2013 wins his 2nd rally in the ERC after Liepaja last year. In the championship, Hayden Paddon performed very well by adding this 2nd place to the 2 podiums already obtained in Portugal and Spain. With a total of 85 points, he is 37 ahead of Mads Ostberg and Martins Sesks.

Having never found the pace that allowed him to win last year, the Pole Mikolaj Marczyk is content with 3rd place. He is ahead of Mads Ostberg who was slow to find the right settings and Mikko Heikkilä who ran the entire first stage with a bad set up.

Having some experience on the ground after his participation in 2021, Mathieu Franceschi had a more complicated second day on roads which should only undergo one pass as the rails become important for the 2nd round. Solid throughout the weekend, the 2022 French Terrestrial champion finished 6th with two points in the Power Stage.

The next meeting of the ERC 2023 will take place in Latvia with Liepaja (June 17-18) where Martins Sesks will attempt the pass of two.