In addition to the team’s regular drivers Grégoire Munster and Josh McErlean, Latvian driver Mārtiņš Sesks returns to the wheel of a Rally1 car. Sesks, who made his breakthrough last season, will contest all the gravel rallies held in Europe this summer.
Sesks has competed in Portugal once before, when he claimed victory in the JWRC category in 2021. M-Sport team principal Richard Millener believes that this time, Fords may also be seen fighting for higher positions.
“It’s great to welcome Mārtiņš back to the team too. He showed some very impressive pace on gravel last year in the Puma and he has a lot of potential to do well over the next few events,” Millener said.
So far this season, M-Sport has not been close to podium finishes. Perhaps in the upcoming rough gravel rallies, Munster could spring a surprise. The experience of the Irishman McErlean is not yet sufficient for strong results without issues befalling other drivers.
“I’ve had a really good feeling during the test. The whole team is clearly motivated to bounce back after Canarias, so I’m looking forward to a strong event around Porto,” Munster told.
“It’s typical to have two kinds of stages here—some with a softer surface, like in Fafe, and others that are rougher with a hard base. Portugal always feels like two events in one! M-Sport has shown in the past that the car can be really competitive here, so we’re aiming for a good result.”
A total of 24 special stages will be contested in Rally Portugal, covering approximately 345 kilometres.
