Kalle Rovanperä leads WRC Rally Latvia by 15.7 seconds over local hero Mārtiņš Sesks after Friday.
Latvia’s FIA World Rally Championship debut marks something of a homecoming for the 23-year-old Finn, as it was on the Baltic nation’s roads that he started his first-ever rally at the age of 12 in 2013.
Helped by his stage win on Thursday’s opener at Biķernieki Track in Rīga, which attracted a sell-out crowd, Rovanperä was never headed on Friday and won four of the day’s seven super-fast gravel road tests in his Toyota GR Yaris Rally1.
But it was 24-year-old hotshot Sesks, contesting only his second event in rallying’s highest echelon and utilising hybrid power for the first time in his M-Sport Ford Puma Rally1, whose performance raised more eyebrows.
Sesks, who is co-driven by fellow Latvian Renārs Francis, reaffirmed that the future is here now when he grabbed his first-ever WRC stage win on the day’s second stage at Tukums, passing eight-time world champion Sébastien Ogier in the process. And, as if that weren’t enough, he backed it up with another fastest time on the very next test.
“It’s amazing,” said Sesks, who ended this 120km leg 5.9sec clear of third-placed Toyota man Ogier. “It’s been so emotional today, and yesterday as well. I think these next two days will be the same.”
Takamoto Katsuta’s all-in approach to the Talsi finale helped the Toyota driver pass Ott Tänak and claim fourth overall. He ended 11.6sec adrift of Ogier with M-Sport Ford man Adrien Fourmaux, who also overtook Tänak in the same stage, 5.3sec behind.
Tänak, meanwhile, fell from fourth to sixth after a challenging day. The Estonian reported a lack of confidence early on as well as a brake issue which he fixed on the roadside after the finish of the penultimate stage.
Elfyn Evans, currently second in the points, trailed the leaders by more than 50sec in seventh. Although he was not hit as hard as championship leader and road-opener Thierry Neuville, the Toyota ace was second in the starting order and struggled to find traction with no real clean line to follow.
Tyre damage cost Esapekka Lappi a handful of seconds on SS5 but the i20 N driver was quick to point out that his main problems lay “between the steering wheel and the seat”. He dropped back to 10th after SS8, languishing behind Grégoire Munster and Neuville.
The action continues from 08:20 local time on Saturday when the first of eight special stages, totalling 104 competitive kilometres, begins.
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WRC Rally Latvia 2024 – Standings after Friday (SS8)
| # | Drivers | Car | Time / Diff. to 1st |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Rovanperä / Halttunen | Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 HY | 1:08:44.5 |
| 2. | Sesks / Francis | Ford Puma Rally1 HY | +15.7 |
| 3. | Ogier / Landais | Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 HY | +21.6 |
| 4. | Katsuta / Johnston | Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 HY | +33.2 |
| 5. | Fourmaux / Coria | Ford Puma Rally1 HY | +38.5 |
| 6. | Tänak / Järveoja | Hyundai i20 N Rally1 HY | +38.8 |
| 7. | Evans / Martin | Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 HY | +52.7 |
| 8. | Munster / Louka | Ford Puma Rally1 HY | +1:10.2 |
| 9. | Neuville / Wydaeghe | Hyundai i20 N Rally1 HY | +1:23.3 |
| 10. | Lappi / Ferm | Hyundai i20 N Rally1 HY | +1:27.4 |
Photo, text: Red Bull Content Pool