Last summer, Sesks, who rose to prominence at the World Rally Championship rounds in Poland and his home event in Latvia, began his season behind the wheel of a Rally1 car on the snowy roads of Sweden in February. The result was a respectable sixth place, but things proved more difficult in Portugal.
The very first proper special stage brought a puncture, and with a technical issue, another puncture and a spin also in the mix, the time gap to the front became considerable. For this week’s Rally Sardinia, Sesks is aiming solely for a clean run. He does not wish to set any major result targets.
“After quite an eventful rally in Portugal, I think we’re looking for a trouble-free week to regain some consistency. That’s the goal for Sardinia, because – just like Portugal – it will be our first time there in four-wheel-drive machinery,” Sesks says.
“There will be lots of learning again, and nothing will be easy, but let’s see what it brings!”
Sesks’ team-mates at Rally Sardinia are Josh McErlean, Grégoire Munster and gentleman driver Jourdan Serderidis. The 25-year-old Irishman McErlean has contested Rally Sardinia three times with Rally2 machinery. No notable results have been achieved so far, and undoubtedly this time too a challenging rally can be expected for him.
“Rally Sardinia is one of the toughest events on the European calendar – rough, technical, and relentless. But you have to learn to love this rally. It’s a real test for both car and crew, and that’s exactly what makes it so rewarding,” McErlean summarizes.
McErlean has three points finishes under his belt this season in the World Rally Championship, but gradually there are expectations for him to raise his level closer to the front-runners.
“We had a positive run in Portugal, and the goal is to carry that rhythm into this weekend.”
A total of 16 special stages will be run at Rally Sardinia, covering approximately 320 kilometres. The rally gets underway on Friday morning and finishes on Sunday.
