Supported by Latvia’s leading technology company Tet, rally crew Mārtiņš Sesks and Renārs Francis finished eighth at the 2026 FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) EKO Acropolis Rally Greece, delivering a consistent and competitive performance at one of the most demanding and technically challenging events of the season while showing their ability to recover from unexpected technical setbacks. The Acropolis Rally has long been regarded as one of the toughest and most unforgiving rounds on the WRC calendar. Over 323.47 competitive kilometres, crews battled not only the rocky mountain roads of Greece and temperatures exceeding 30°C, but also a host of technical challenges. The weekend saw punctures, crashes and even a rally car catching fire, once again underlining the event’s brutal reputation.
Sesks and Francis made a confident start to the rally and produced one of the most consistent performances among the Rally1 crews on Friday. Despite tyre strategy challenges, the Latvian duo climbed as high as fifth overall, consistently setting competitive stage times and avoiding mistakes while many of their rivals lost valuable time due to punctures and technical issues.
The course of the rally changed on Saturday because of a technical problem in the service area. After leaving service, the crew’s Ford Puma Rally1 failed to start, resulting in a 3-minute, 10-second time penalty for late arrival at the next time control. The setback dropped Sesks and Francis from fifth place to outside the top ten, despite having been among the strongest performers up to that point.
Despite the significant time loss, the Latvian crew remained focused. On Sunday, Sesks and Francis fought back, regained several positions and finished eighth overall, once again demonstrating their composure and consistency under difficult circumstances.
After the finish, Mārtiņš Sesks reflected on the weekend:
“I think we started the EKO Acropolis Rally really well. Saturday morning was unfortunate due to a technical issue, but apart from that, we had a solid rally. We didn’t have any major problems or make any big mistakes, so we can be happy with our performance.”
Compared with last season, the progress is evident. Having finished 15th at the Acropolis Rally in 2025, Sesks and Francis were fighting for a top-five result this year and, despite receiving more than three minutes in time penalties, secured an impressive eighth-place finish. The result highlights the crew’s growing competitiveness and increasing consistency at the highest level of the FIA World Rally Championship.
Nine-time World Rally Champion Sébastien Ogier of Toyota Gazoo Racing claimed victory in Greece for the second time in his career, securing his 69th WRC win. Thierry Neuville of Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team finished second, while Takamoto Katsuta of Toyota Gazoo Racing completed the podium in third place.
Sesks and Francis will return to action in mid-July at Rally Estonia.
Atpakaļ“The fast gravel roads in Estonia present a completely different challenge compared to the rocky stages of the Acropolis Rally, but we almost consider it a home event because the surface is very familiar to us. We also know that the organisers always have a few surprises in store for both the competitors and the fans, so we expect plenty of our supporters to be lining the stages,” said Latvia’s leading rally driver, Mārtiņš Sesks.