Sesks/Francis Move Up to Fifth in Acropolis Rally

Latvian rally driver Mārtiņš Sesks and co-driver Renārs Francis moved up to fifth place in the Acropolis Rally in Greece after seven stages on Friday. The M-Sport Ford crew posted sixth-fastest time in stage five, fifth in stage six, and eighth in stage seven, maintaining fifth overall.

Stage winners were Irishman John Armstrong (Ford), Belgian Thierry Neuville, and Frenchman Adrien Fourmaux (Hyundai). After seven of 17 stages, overall leader Neuville leads Sébastien Ogier by 9.7 seconds and Fourmaux by 42.4 seconds. Sesks/Francis trail the leader by one minute and 16.9 seconds.

On Thursday, the Latvians were 13th in the sole stage, then improved to seventh and two fifth places on Friday morning to climb to sixth. Saturday features six stages, with four more on Sunday to conclude the rally. Live coverage is available on Go3 Sport 1.

This season, Sesks/Francis competed in Sweden (technical issues) and Portugal (9th). Upcoming rallies include Estonia, Finland, Italy, and possibly Saudi Arabia. M-Sport Ford's regular lineup this year features Irish drivers Josh McErlean and John Armstrong.

Last season, the Latvian crew was fastest in the season-ending Saudi Arabia rally but did not finish due to technical problems. They debuted in WRC in 2024 with three rallies, including a seventh-place finish in Latvia.