Sesks and Francis hold seventh in Rally Estonia; Pajari extends lead
Latvian crew Mārtiņš Sesks and Renārs Francis finished sixth in stages 12 and 13 of WRC Rally Estonia on Saturday, maintaining seventh overall. Leader Sami Pajari increased his advantage over Oliver Solberg to 21.4 seconds.
During the second day of Rally Estonia, the Latvian duo of Mārtiņš Sesks and co-driver Renārs Francis posted the sixth-fastest time in both stage 12 and stage 13 of the WRC event. They were 13.3 seconds slower than stage winner Sami Pajari in the 12th stage and 11.9 seconds adrift in the 13th. After 13 stages, the Latvian crew sits in seventh place, two minutes and 1.1 seconds behind the leader.
Finnish driver Sami Pajari, piloting a Toyota, continues to lead the overall standings. His advantage over Swedish driver Oliver Solberg, also in a Toyota, has grown to 21.4 seconds. Third place belongs to Frenchman Adrien Fourmaux in a Hyundai, trailing by 48.2 seconds.
The Latvian crew faced challenges earlier in the rally. During Friday's shakedown, they hit a course barrier, causing minor damage to their car. Mechanics managed to repair it, but Sesks and Francis left the service park two minutes late for the first stage, resulting in a 20-second penalty.
Three more stages are scheduled for Saturday, with the final two stages taking place on Sunday from 11:00 to 14:00 local time. The rally is being broadcast live on Go3 Sport 1. Last year, the Latvian 'M-Sport Ford' crew finished eighth in the WRC event in Estonia.
