Martins Sesks is one day away from landing a fifth FIA European Rally Championship event win after he completed leg one of Rally 6 Cities North of Portugal leading by 10.5sec.
But with the 2026 ERC season decider proving a tough challenge due to the rough and tough gravel roads, victory is far from guaranteed for the Team MRF Tyres driver.
Fourth quickest through the Tarmac super special on the Monte Penha hillclimb in Guimarães on Friday evening, Sesks moved to the top of the timing screens by 2.0sec after he won Saturday’s first gravel stage.
Although he wouldn’t go quickest again until SS5, his advantage remained intact throughout, despite the Latvian hinting at a mechanical issue on his Škoda Fabia RS Rally2, which he reported as being a problem with the pop-off valve at the finish of Saturday’s final stage.
“I was pushing in this one, my hands are a bit shaking, this was a good stage,” Sesks said after he completed SS9 with his fourth fastest time of the day. “A few places with the embedded rocks that threw the car up in the car, it’s quite a tricky thing. But it’s been a good day.”
Behind Sesks, Roope Korhonen (above) is on course to make it a 1-2 for Team MRF Tyres with Pablo Sarrazin (below) heading for a career-best third place on his third ERC start. Part of the Team France National Match Rally line-up, Sarrazin set the pace on SS3 in his Michelin-equipped Lancia Ypsilon Rally2 HF Integrale to underline his potential.
Korhonen, meanwhile, went quickest on SS4, SS6 and again on SS8 but dropped precious time when he ran wide through bushes on SS9, which he completed with a deflated front-left tyre on his Toyota GR Yaris Rally2.
Léo Rossel demoted his fellow Hankook-supplied Lancia driver Nikolay Gryazin for fourth on SS7. But when Rossel stopped with a broken wheel rim on SS8, Gryazin reclaimed fourth, while Rossel dropped outside the top 10.
However, in another dramatic twist, Gryazin stopped 6.5 kilometres into the day’s final stage with a mechanical issue, which promoted Jan Solans into fourth, SSS1 pacesetter Simone Tempestini into fifth and Arthur Pelamourgues into sixth.
Multiple Portuguese champion Armindo Araújo is seventh after he overtook Miko Marczyk on SS9 where the 2025 ERC champion was delayed by front-left tyre damage.
Portuguese championship contenders Pedro Almeida and Rúben Rodrigues are next up followed by Jakub Matulka, Nicolas Otto, Sebastián Franco and Adam Grahn, who was delayed by a spin on SS7 and an intercom issue this morning. The delayed Rossel completed the top 15.
Several drivers hit trouble during a day of high attrition in the ERC. They included Kris Meeke, who crashed out on SS4, Patrick Enok, who rolled on the same stage, and Sarah Rumeau, who was in a strong ninth place on her ERC debut until she rolled into retirement on SS7, where Tymek Abramowski ended up on his roof and Andrea Mabellini also stopped.
Ville Vatanen was nearing the finish of SS9 when a heavy landing triggered an alarm onboard his Ford Fiesta Rally2 and forced the Finn to pull over. On his prize drive for winning the ERC Fiesta Rally3 Trophy, the Pirelli-equipped Finn was in 11th place at the time after a highly encouraging display.
Kanta Yanaguida finished Saturday’s final stage with a comfortable lead of 1min 06.6sec ahead of team-mate Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT NG team-mate Rio Ogata. But after being forced to retire on the road section heading to end-of-day service in Fafe, it’s Ogata who leads into leg two on Sunday ahead of Kalum Graffin by 2min 34.7sec.
Karl Peder Nordstrand is on course to claim his maiden victory in FIA ERC4/FIA Junior ERC after a troubled day for title contender Tom Heindrichs, who retired with a damaged oil cooler on SS3, handing the initiative to championship rival and ADAC Opel Rally Junior Team team-mate Timo Schulz, who is second behind Nordstrand.
Rally 6 Cities North of Portugal resumes tomorrow (Sunday) with the 8.73-kilometre Montim stage from 08:05 local time.
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