M-Sport Ford World Rally Championship driver Mãrtiņš Sesks will make his rally-raid debut in Poland this weekend.
Sesks, who’s undertaking a part-time program in a Puma Rally1, has contested the last three WRC events in Greece, Estonia and Finland, but the two South American rounds in Paraguay and Chile aren’t part of his program.
Instead, he’ll rejoin M-Sport’s lineup at Rally Italy Sardinia (October 1-4).
The Latvian will still be in competition this weekend despite skipping Rally del Paraguay though, as he’ll take on his very first rally-raid at Baja Poland 2026, a round of the FIA European Baja Cup.
Driving a T3-class ‘Viking Challenger’ built by Sports Racing Technologies (SRT) on the August 27-30 event, Sesks will try his hand at a new discipline while also assisting SRT develop its machine.
“This will be a completely new experience for me and a great challenge, and I’m really looking forward to making my debut,” Sesks said.
“Rally-raid requires a completely different approach and strategy compared to traditional rallying, so I’m going into this adventure together with Didzis, whose experience will be invaluable. My goal will be to learn as much as possible about the discipline.
“In traditional rallying, my co-driver Renārs and I spend a great deal of time perfecting our pace notes and pushing at maximum speed. In rally-raid, by contrast, the route remains unknown until the competition begins, and we tackle it using a prepared roadbook.
“Here, the co-driver is a navigator who has to recognize the terrain and deliver precise instructions. One navigation mistake can result in a huge loss of time.
“A rally-raid special stage can also last several hours, so, much like in a marathon, the focus is on analyzing risk, preserving the car, and managing our own energy and strength. That will be very different from what we are used to in traditional rallying.”
Ģirts Krūzmanis, head of SRT, added: “Mārtiņš Sesks and SRT have enjoyed a successful partnership in rallies for many years, and this time we are taking that relationship into a new discipline by challenging him in rally-raid.
“There is something particularly special about seeing a Latvian driver and co-driver behind the wheel of a car developed and built in Latvia. From day one, the Viking Challenger has been designed with one goal in mind: to win rally-raid events, with the ultimate ambition being victory in the Dakar Rally.”
