MÄrtiĆĆĄ Sesks is one day away from claiming his fifth FIA European Rally Championship victory after completing leg one of Rally 6 Cities North of Portugal with a 10.5sec lead.
MÄrtiĆĆĄ Sesks is one day away from claiming his fifth FIA European Rally Championship victory after completing leg one of Rally 6 Cities North of Portugal with a 10.5sec lead.
But with the 2026 ERC season decider proving a stern test on rough gravel roads, victory is far from guaranteed for the Team MRF Tyres driver.
Fourth quickest through the Tarmac super special on the Monte Penha hillclimb in GuimarĂŁes on Friday evening, Sesks moved into a 2.0sec lead by winning Saturdayâs first gravel stage.
Although he wouldnât go quickest again until SS5, his advantage remained intact throughout, despite the Latvian hinting at a mechanical issue with his Ć koda Fabia RS Rally2. At the finish of Saturdayâs final stage, he reported a problem with the pop-off valve.
âI was pushing in this one, my hands are a bit shaking, this was a good stage,â Sesks said after claiming his fourth stage win of the day on SS9. âA few places with the embedded rocks that threw the car up in the air, itâs quite a tricky thing. But itâs been a good day.â
Behind Sesks, Roope Korhonen is on course to make it a 1-2 for Team MRF Tyres, with Pablo Sarrazin heading for a career-best third place on his third ERC start. Part of Team Franceâs National Match Rally line-up, Sarrazin set the pace on SS3 in his Michelin-equipped Lancia Ypsilon Rally2 HF Integrale to underline his potential.
Korhonen, meanwhile, went quickest on SS4, SS6 and SS8 but dropped precious time when he ran wide through bushes on SS9, which he completed with a deflated front-left tyre on his Toyota GR Yaris Rally2.
LĂ©o Rossel took fourth from fellow Hankook-supplied Lancia driver Nikolay Gryazin on SS7. But when Rossel stopped with a broken wheel rim on SS8, Gryazin reclaimed the position as Rossel dropped outside the top 10.
In another dramatic twist, Gryazin stopped 6.5 kilometres into the dayâs final stage with a mechanical issue, promoting Jan Solans into fourth, SSS1 pacesetter Simone Tempestini into fifth and Arthur Pelamourgues into sixth.
Multiple Portuguese champion Armindo AraĂșjo is seventh after overtaking Miko Marczyk on SS9, where the 2025 ERC champion was delayed by front-left tyre damage.
Portuguese championship contenders Pedro Almeida and RĂșben Rodrigues are next, followed by Jakub Matulka, Nicolas Otto, SebastiĂĄn Franco and Adam Grahn, who was delayed by a spin on SS7 and an intercom issue during the morning loop. The delayed Rossel completed the top 15.
Several drivers hit trouble during a day of high attrition. They included Kris Meeke, who crashed out on SS4, and Patrick Enok, who rolled on the same stage. Sarah Rumeau was running a strong ninth on her ERC debut before rolling into retirement on SS7, where Tymek Abramowski also ended up on his roof and Andrea Mabellini stopped.
Ville Vatanen was nearing the finish of SS9 when a heavy landing triggered an alarm on board his Ford Fiesta Rally2 and forced him to pull over. Contesting his prize drive for winning the ERC Fiesta Rally3 Trophy, the Pirelli-equipped Finn was in 11th place at the time after a highly encouraging display.
Rally 6 Cities North of Portugal resumes tomorrow (Sunday) with the 8.73-kilometre Montim stage from 08:05 local time.
Standings after Saturday (SS9)
1. M Sesks / R Francis LVA Ć koda Fabia RS Rally2 1h 14m 38.2s
2. R Korhonen / A Viinikka FIN Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 +10.5s
3. P Sarrazin / Y Roche FRA Lancia Ypsilon Rally2 HF Integrale +24.7s
4. J Solans / R SanjuĂĄn ESP Ć koda Fabia RS Rally2 +1m 20.0s
5. S Tempestini / F Maior ROU Ć koda Fabia RS Rally2 +1m 42.2s
6. A Pelamourgues / B Pouget FRA Hyundai i20 N Rally2 +2m 01.6s
