Rovanperä wins Tet Rally Latvia, Sesks faces technical issue in last stage

Sunday, July 21st, marked the conclusion of the historic first FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) round in Latvia – Tet Rally Latvia. The victory was claimed by the Finnish crew of Kalle Rovanperä / Jonne Haltunen from the Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Team. The second position on the podium was secured by Rovanpera’s teammate, eight-time world champion Sébastien Ogier, while Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT driver Ott Tänak moved up to third place in the final stage. It was an unfortunate finish for the Latvian crew of Mārtiņš Sesks / Renārs Francis, whose car encountered technical issues in the last stage, pushing them down from third to seventh place.

The first WRC stage in Latvia happened across four days, with the world’s fastest rally crews competing on Latvian roads. The rally started on Thursday with an opening ceremony at Rīga Town Hall Square, followed by the first special stage at the Biķernieki track. In the following days, the crews raced in stages of the Tukums region, Talsi and Talsi region, Kuldīga region, Dienvidkurzeme region, and the rally city of Liepāja.

Right from the first stage, Finnish motorsport star Kalle Rovanperä demonstrated his speed, taking the lead and gradually increasing his advantage over the competitors. On Friday, the rally world was positively surprised by the performance of Mārtiņš Sesks / Renārs Francis in their Ford Puma Rally1 HYBRID, with Sesks setting the fastest times in the third and fourth stages. They concluded the first full day of the rally in second place, positioned between two world champions – Rovanperä and Sébastien Ogier.

On Saturday, Sébastien Ogier managed to overtake Mārtiņš Sesks, with the Toyota drivers occupying the top two positions. However, the Latvian's consistent performance allowed him to head into the final day of the rally still in the top three.

On Sunday, the final four stages of the Tet Rally Latvia took place, with Hyundai Shell Mobis driver Ott Tänak showcasing impressive speed. By the last stage, he had narrowed Mārtiņš Sesks lead to a mere 4.6 seconds. Unfortunately, a technical issue with the Latvian crew's car during the final SS20 Mazilmāja 2 stage prevented them from competing for a podium spot in their second WRC rally. As a result, Sesks had to settle for seventh place. Tänak was the fastest in three of the four stages on Sunday, including winning the Power Stage and securing maximum points.

Kalle Rovanperä, a former two-time Latvian rally champion, secured a convincing victory in the rally, finishing 39.2 seconds ahead of his teammate Sébastien Ogier. After Mārtiņš Sesks unfortunate technical issue, Ott Tänak claimed third place. Frenchman Adrien Fourmaux finished in fourth place, while the remaining spots in the top six were taken by Toyota drivers Elfyn Evans and Takamoto Katsuta.

On Sunday, Ott Tänak earned the maximum points in the Super Sunday classification, followed by Sébastien Ogier and Kalle Rovanperä.

In the WRC2 category, another former Latvian rally champion, Oliver Solberg (Škoda Fabia RS Rally2), celebrated a convincing victory. Solberg finished 37.4 seconds ahead of Finnish driver Mikko Heikkilä (Toyota GR Yaris Rally2), while fellow Finn Sami Pajari (Toyota GR Yaris Rally2) secured third place, trailing the winner by 44.8 seconds.

The participants of the FIA World Rally Championship season will next head to Finland, for the fast roads of Secto Rally Finland in two weeks’ time.

News and other information about the Tet Rally Latvia, round of the 2024 FIA World Rally Championship (WRC), available at www.lvrally.com, as well as on social media X @LVRally, Facebook @LVRally, Instagram @lvrally, and TikTok @tetrallylatvia. While, news about the FIA World Rally Championship available at www.wrc.com.

Tet Rally Latvia, round of the FIA World Rally Championship, is set to take place on July 18-21, 2024. The event is possible thanks to the support provided by Ministry of Education and Science, rally city Liepāja and capital city Rīga, as well as municipalities of Tukums, Talsi, and Kuldīga. Special thanks to general sponsor Tet, many thanks to our main sponsors Ramirent, Sportland, and X3000, official car partner Toyota, as well as sponsors BTA, Fristads, and SIXT. Thanks to our partners Canon Biznesa Centrs Liepāja, Latvijas Valsts meži and municipality of Dienvidkurzeme. Informative support provided by news portal DELFI, Kurzemes Radio, Sporta Avīze un Talsu Vēstis. Thanks to Tet Rally Latvia supporters shopping malls AKROPOLE, AOK, Ballīte Ballītē, Biķernieku trase, Conti STL, Conway, CSDD, DHL, Eco Baltia vide, Elnetworks, Flora, FN Serviss, Getic, Jānis Pūce, Löfbergs, Liepāja Special Economic Zone, MB Grupa, Mission Latvia, OCT Composites, Peltors, Rentadisplay, Rīgas Brīvostas pārvalde, Riga Motormusem, SignTech, Swecon, Swan, Törley, Travel Latvia, as well as technical partner Sports Racing Technologies. Tet Rally Latvia is organised by RA Events in cooperation with Speed Festival Kurzeme and Latvian Automobile Federation.

Tet Rally Latvia supports initiatives carried out by Latvian Children's Support Centre, who has created and are developing social rehabilitation facility for children with special needs. We invite you to support this initiative, by making a donation here: http://www.lbaf.lv/lv/ka-ziedot.