Youngsters Kalle Rovanperä and Mārtiņš Sesks dominated the first full day of action at Tet Rally Latvia, with Rovanperä leading by 15.7 seconds.
Rovanperä Leads the Charge
Latvia’s debut in the FIA World Rally Championship saw Kalle Rovanperä, a 23-year-old Finnish driver, take the lead. Rovanperä, who started his rally career in Latvia at age 12, maintained his lead throughout Friday, winning four of the seven gravel road stages in his Toyota GR Yaris Rally1.
Sesks Impresses
Mārtiņš Sesks, a 24-year-old Latvian, grabbed attention with his impressive performance in only his second event at the highest level of rallying. Driving an M-Sport Ford Puma Rally1 with hybrid power for the first time, Sesks won his first-ever WRC stage at Tukums, surpassing eight-time world champion Sébastien Ogier, and followed it up with another fastest time in the next test.
“It’s amazing,” said Sesks, who finished the day 5.9 seconds ahead of Ogier in third place. “It’s been so emotional today, and yesterday as well. I think these next two days will be the same.”
Other Highlights
- Takamoto Katsuta’s aggressive drive in the Talsi finale helped him move past Ott Tänak, finishing fourth overall, 11.6 seconds behind Ogier.
- Adrien Fourmaux also overtook Tänak, ending the day 5.3 seconds behind Katsuta.
- Tänak, despite initial confidence issues and a brake problem, ended in sixth place.
- Elfyn Evans, second in the championship points, trailed the leaders by over 50 seconds in seventh, struggling with traction issues.
- Esapekka Lappi faced tyre damage and other issues, dropping to 10th place.
Continuing Action
The rally resumes at 08:20 local time on Saturday, with eight special stages totaling 104 competitive kilometers.
Leading Positions after Friday
- K Rovanperä / J Halttunen (FIN) – Toyota GR Yaris – 1h 8m 44.5s
- M Sesks / R Francis (LVA) – Ford Puma – +15.7s
- S Ogier / V Landais (FRA) – Toyota GR Yaris – +21.6s
- T Katsuta / A Johnston (JPN) – Toyota GR Yaris – +33.2s
- A Fourmaux / A Coria (FRA) – Ford Puma – +38.5s
- O Tänak / M Järveoja (EST) – Hyundai i20 N – +38.8s
Source: WRC
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