Sesks had been in excellent form on Friday’s stages. The Latvian also started strongly on the second run of Moon Stage, but suffered a puncture towards the end of the test.
Competing in the Ford Puma Rally1 car, Sesks was at one point more than six seconds ahead of Sami Pajari on the splits. But the puncture ultimately cost him 16.8 seconds to the Finn.
“There were so many rocks, like you have probably seen. I think it was a slow puncture in the beginning,” Sesks said.
Sesks’ problems promoted Toyota driver Pajari to the top of the Rally Saudi Arabia leaderboard. Pajari now holds a 5.3-second lead over Hyundai’s Adrien Fourmaux, with Sesks third, 12.9 seconds from the top spot.
“This stage came really cleanly. I just tried to drive calmly and stay on the line. It felt like we were going really slowly, but on a stage like this it’s hard to know how it actually went,” Pajari reflected.
Fourmaux had to give a little ground to Pajari on Moon Stage, losing 4.8 seconds on the fastest time. The Hyundai driver opted for a different tyre strategy for the afternoon loop, carrying only soft tyres.
“It was like mission impossible, because I took the softs. It seems to be positive, more or less. I was saving them all the stage and I’m really pleased with my stage,” Fourmaux summed up.
Hyundai’s Ott Tänak remains fourth overall, but team-mate Thierry Neuville and Toyota’s Takamoto Katsuta are right on his tail. The next positions are held by Toyota drivers Sébastien Ogier, Elfyn Evans and Kalle Rovanperä, who are battling each other for the World Championship title in this season finale.
Two more stages will be driven on Thursday at Rally Saudi Arabia. The rally concludes on Saturday.
Rally Saudi Arabia standings after SS6/17:
| POS | Driver | Car | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Sami Pajari | Toyota | 1:05:31.8 |
| 2. | Adrien Fourmaux | Hyundai | +5.3 |
| 3. | Martins Sesks | Ford | +12.9 |
| 4. | Ott Tänak | Hyundai | +23.4 |
| 5. | Thierry Neuville | Hyundai | +23.7 |
| 6. | Takamoto Katsuta | Toyota | +24.4 |
| 7. | Sebastien Ogier | Toyota | +40.2 |
| 8. | Elfyn Evans | Toyota | +1:15.7 |
| 9. | Kalle Rovanperä | Toyota | +1:21.3 |
| 10. | Gregoire Munster | Ford | +1:59.2 |
Rally Saudi Arabia itinerary (CET):
Wednesday 26 November
09:01 Shakedown: Thahban (4.56 km)
18:35 SS1: Jameel Motorsport Super Special 1 (5.22 km)
Thursday 27 November
06:08 SS2: Al Faisaliyah 1 (19.36 km)
07:06 SS3: Moon Stage 1 (20.12 km)
08:04 SS4: Khulais 1 (11.33 km)
10:14 Service (40 min)
12:22 SS5: Al Faisaliyah 2 (19.36 km)
13:20 SS6: Moon Stage 2 (20.12 km)
14:18 SS7: Khulais 2 (11.33 km)
17:28 Service (45 min)
18:31 SS8: Jameel Motorsport Super Special 2 (5.22 km)
Friday 28 November
06:26 SS9: Alghulah 1 (11.69 km)
07:19 SS10: Um Al Jerem 1 (30.58 km)
08:35 SS11: Wadi Almatwi 1 (24.90 km)
10:15 Service (40 min)
11:51 SS12: Alghulah 2 (11.69 km)
12:47 SS13: Um Al Jerem 2 (30.58 km)
14:05 SS14: Wadi Almatwi 2 (24.90 km)
Saturday 29 November
07:05 SS15: Thahban 1 (16.29 km)
08:21 SS16: Asfan (33.28 km)
11:15 SS17: Thahban 2 (16.29 km) *Power Stage
