Ott Tanak has praised Martins Sesks’ remarkable performance at the Tet Rally Latvia despite the local hero’s setback in the final stage.
Hyundai WRC driver Ott Tanak has expressed admiration for Martins Sesks following his impressive debut at Tet Rally Latvia, where the local hero secured a stage win and established himself as a formidable contender before suffering a mechanical issue during the final stage.
Despite the disappointment, Sesks showcased remarkable talent and determination throughout the rally, capturing the attention of fans and competitors alike.
The 24-year-old rookie made waves in only his second start in a World Rally Championship (WRC) car. Driving a Ford Puma Rally1, he demonstrated impressive speed and skill, even claiming a maiden WRC stage win on Friday morning.
His strong performance positioned him as a serious contender for a podium finish, trailing leader Kalle Rovanperä by just 15.7 seconds at the end of the first day.
Unfortunately, the final stage proved to be a turning point for Sesks, who encountered a mechanical failure that dashed his hopes for a podium finish. This setback left him in seventh place overall, but his earlier performances earned him widespread respect in the rally community.
Tanak, who ultimately finished third in the rally, praised Sesks’ performance as “incredible.” He highlighted the young driver’s potential and talent, noting that Sesks had shown remarkable composure under pressure.
“I must say what an incredible job he has done. He may know the roads and be on the roads but nobody can take his driving away,” said Tanak.
“For sure it is shame and I told him it tastes bad in this moment, but it is an experience, and it makes you hungry. I’m sure if it gets more chance to drive it will give him a little extra boost.”
Sesks felt he done everything he could throughout the rally and his previous outing in Poland, which was made possible by the WRC Promoters and his sponsors.
“After the stage Ott came and he said that he had been in this position, and he said it looked too easy. And of course, maybe it looked too easy from the outside in Poland and in Latvia,” said Sesks.
“We really did our job. The most important thing is if we had finished in the top three it was because we had a good pace and the team was working perfectly, it wasn’t just good fortune.
“We did a good job. This is a thing in racing sometimes you have technical issues and of course it is shame it happened before these final 13 kilometres, but it is how it is.”
M-Sport team principal Richard Millener hailed Sesks’ performance as “amazing” and was gutted that a car issue robbed his driver a shot at a memorable podium result.
“I feel like we let him down as a team. I don’t know what has happened,” Millener told Autosport. “We will worry about that when we get a chance, but it is irrelevant right now, but to do everything you can fight that hard and end up like that is a real shame.
“What he did was amazing. He kept fighting and kept going. He never got to show us what he could have done on that stage. I think it genuinely would have been very close.
“It’s what the championship wants and needs and that’s what the goal of this programme was so I’m very happy that we’ve achieved it. I’m just not really happy we didn’t get him the podium.”
On the other hand, Tanak’s own rally experience was eventful, as he faced challenges throughout the weekend. After struggling with confidence in his Hyundai i20 N on Friday, he managed to recover on Saturday, moving up to fourth place.
However, the Estonian driver ran into deflated promotional arch during stage 14 and faced further setbacks with a broken driveshaft and a collision with a hay bale on stage 16. Despite these obstacles, he persevered and secured crucial points after a strong finish in the Power Stage.
