64 Crews to Start European Rally Finale in Portugal, Including Latvia's Mārtiņš Sesks

The final round of the 2026 FIA European Rally Championship (ERC), Europe's top-level rally series, takes place this week in Portugal as Rally 6 Cities North of Portugal. In total 64 crews have entered, including participants from the Portuguese national rally championship, representing 25 countries. Among them is Latvian driver Mārtiņš Sesks with co-driver Renārs Francis, who will compete in a Škoda Fabia RS Rally2.

For ERC points, 44 drivers will compete in 31 Rally2 cars. Portugal returns to the ERC calendar for the first time since 2023.

Fight for overall positions

Teemu Suninen will skip the finale, having already clinched the overall ERC title after last month's JDS Machinery Rali Ceredigion. In Portugal the battle for second place continues: Andrea Mabellini and 2025 ERC champion Miko Marczyk are separated by just six points. Jakub Matulka, Simone Tempestini and Chris Ingram, who has won the Faial-based rally twice, will aim for a place in the top five of the championship.

Strong competition

Besides those names, several fast crews will start, including drivers from the WRC2 championship, the second tier of the World Rally Championship. Sesks and Francis will face Nikolay Gryazin and Leo Rossel, both in Lancia Ypsilon Rally2 HF Integrale cars. Rossel won the WRC2 class at the Monte Carlo Rally. Also entered are Patrik Enok, who finished third in the Finnish rally championship, Jan Solans, who reached the top three in several WRC2 rounds in 2025, and Brandon Semenuk, a multiple US rally champion.

Junior ERC

In the Junior ERC classification, for young drivers, Timo Schulz and Toms Heindrichs will fight for the title. They are 14 points apart, and each has won two rounds so far.

Over three days, competitors must complete 17 special stages totalling 181.1 km.