The performances of Mārtiņš Sesks in M-Sport’s Ford Puma Rally1 were undoubtedly highlights of both Rally Poland and Rally Latvia. Not just the sheer pace the Latvian displayed on his first Rally1 outings, but his mature approach – exemplified by his reaction to final-stage heartbreak on his home event – and enthusiasm.
But where does the 24-year-old go from here? His World Rally Championship sortie was only ever a two-event deal, supported by WRC Promoter.
Sesks’ immediate focus now returns to his full-time program in the European Rally Championship. This weekend’s Rally di Roma Capitale – on Sesks’ least preferred surface of asphalt – begins the second half of the ERC season.
Runner-up to Hayden Paddon in last year’s standings, Sesks hasn’t enjoyed the best of fortune in ERC this year. He currently languishes in 20th in the points table with a best result of sixth on the Royal Rally of Scandinavia.
It might have been different but for a penultimate-stage retirement from the lead on the season-opening Rally Hungary. But a tough outing on Rally Estonia brought Sesks back down to earth after the highs of his Rally1 debut in Poland – although that clearly didn’t affect his performance in Latvia.
Might now be the time to shift his attention towards securing further WRC outings?
M-Sport team principal Richard Millener admits he would love to see Sesks back in the Puma, but the budget is not currently in place for any further outings.
“Absolutely,” said Millener, when asked by DirtFish if M-Sport would work with the Latvian to get him back in the car. “I mean that’s where the focus will have to turn to now but it’s hard for us.
“Honestly, we did what we could to help with this, but the budget didn’t come from us to run the program. We just provided the car and the team – and we’d love to do it again. We’d love to find a way to see him in the car again.
“But regardless, I think what he’s proven this weekend has put his name on the radar firmly of other teams as well. And it’s so hard to break into that kind of top level because there’s so many people in WRC2 and in Rally2 cars, it’s hard to choose which could be good.
“But I think it’s not just the driving we’ve seen from him this weekend, it’s the way he’s worked with us, it’s the way, you know, his feedback on the test, the way he handles himself. The charisma and entertainment he brings to the stage-end interviews, it’s just good for the championship and I’m very happy to have been a part of it.”
Sesks can only have improved his chances of further top-level outings with his performances. The charisma Millener highlighted may help too. Sesks has made himself a marketable commodity that should be an enticing prospect to the boardrooms of Latvia and the wider world.
“I hope it helps,” admitted Sesks. “I knew that everyone loves rallying [in Latvia and the Baltic region] but for a couple of years rallying here has been a bit down, I would say.
“And now when I saw all the crowd which was on Thursday in Biķernieki, it was just amazing. Then we understood that everyone still loves rallying, so it’s just amazing.”
Asked what he needed to do to get back in the Rally1 car, Sesks added: “I don’t know. Maybe patiently wait and just sneak in some doors, so we’ll see.”
