Martins Sesks Shocks the Competition at Rally Saudi Arabia as Kalle Rovanpera Faces Catastrophic Setback!
In a stunning turn of events at the inaugural Rally Saudi Arabia, rising star Martins Sesks has seized the lead, delivering a jaw-dropping performance that has left fans and competitors alike in awe. Meanwhile, the championship hopeful Kalle Rovanpera found himself in a nightmare scenario, battling through a costly puncture that could prove fatal to his title ambitions.
Sesks, behind the wheel of the M-Sport-Ford, blasted through the morning stages, nearly sweeping the competition off their feet. The Latvian racer, starting the day in third, showcased his extraordinary driving skills, narrowly missing a perfect stage win streak due to a minor slip in stage four. He finished the loop with a razor-thin lead of just 1.3 seconds over Hyundai’s Adrien Fourmaux, with Toyota’s Sami Pajari trailing closely in third, 1.7 seconds behind.
As the title race heats up, all eyes are on the championship contenders, but they faced significant challenges due to the road cleaning effect. Legendary driver Sebastien Ogier managed to carve his way up to seventh place, while Rovanpera, sitting 24 points behind the championship leader Elfyn Evans, struggled in tenth after his unfortunate puncture incident.
The drama began with a sandy desert stage that allowed for high-risk maneuvering, but as the stages progressed, the terrain morphed into brutal rocky paths, increasing the danger for all competitors. Rovanpera, who was striving to keep pace, found himself 5.9 seconds off Sesks’ blistering speed. Ogier, in a moment of brilliance, managed to shave off a whopping 12.8 seconds from Evans, who later admitted he was too cautious during his run.
As the competition intensified, Neuville, the reigning world champion, suffered a setback of his own, sustaining a puncture after a rough landing, costing him 15.2 seconds but still managing to maintain a competitive position. Meanwhile, Sesks was on fire, dominating the next stage with a stunning 4.3 seconds lead over Fourmaux, extending his overall lead to 7.3 seconds.
The relentless road cleaning effect proved to be a formidable foe for the title contenders yet again. Rovanpera emerged as the fastest among them but was still trailing 18.4 seconds behind Sesks. Ogier lost 23.4 seconds, while Evans lagged by 24.6 seconds, expressing frustration over the challenging conditions.
The drama peaked in the final stage of the loop, where Evans encountered a costly navigational error that forced him to reverse, costing him precious seconds. Rovanpera, determined to push through, picked up another puncture, this time on the left rear, which resulted in a staggering 49.6 seconds delay. “I didn’t hit absolutely anything,” a visibly frustrated Rovanpera lamented. “It just sums up this year quite well; it’s all the time like this, and all these punctures are coming from out of nowhere.”
As the dust settled, Sesks, despite a misstep at a critical junction, managed to keep his lead over Fourmaux to a razor-thin 1.3 seconds. Pajari clinched the stage win by a mere 0.8 seconds, intensifying the competition as Tanak, who had struggled earlier, clawed his way back to fourth place.
The drama doesn’t stop here! The crews are set to repeat the trio of challenging stages this afternoon before wrapping up the day with an exhilarating run through the 5.22km Jameel Motorsport Super Special stage. The fight for glory at Rally Saudi Arabia is just heating up, and fans are on the edge of their seats as they witness this electrifying battle unfold!









