The Latest Breaking News from Richard Millener

Martins Sesks’ top-flight World Rally Championship debut at Rally Poland is “one of the strongest in a while” according to M-Sport team principal Richard Millener.

During this period the WRC has gone full circle. There was a concept to abandon the hybrid-powered Rally1 cars entirely and install Rally2 as the top tier. There was the idea of creating a Rally2 plus category by downgrading Rally1 cars and upgrading current Rally2 cars. But on balance stability…

During this period the WRC has gone full circle. There was a concept to abandon the hybrid-powered Rally1 cars entirely and install Rally2 as the top tier. There was the idea of creating a Rally2 plus category by downgrading Rally1 cars and upgrading current Rally2 cars. But on balance stability…

Now that the dust has settled on an event that delivered the joint-closest finish in WRC history, the championship and the FIA will evaluate how the 48-hour, 266.12km format performed.

The WRC Promoter presented its vision to its key stakeholder group, which included Hyundai, Toyota, Ford, Stellantis and Skoda alongside representatives from the FIA during a meeting at Rally Portugal on Saturday.

The meeting is expected to focus largely on conveying the promoter’s plans and initiatives regarding the promotion of the championship.

Adrien Fourmaux highlighted that recent simulator sessions in the US played a role in helping improve the M-Sport Ford Puma Rally1’s performance on Croatia’s asphalt stages last weekend.

The deal will see Sesks and co-driver Francis Renars compete in back-to-back events in Poland (27-30 June) and their home round in Latvia (18-21 July).

Toyota, Hyundai and M-Sport-Ford collectively wrote to the FIA opposing the governing body’s recommendations for next year, that include the removal of hybrid power from Rally1 cars alongside a reduction in aero and power.

The British squad has been working on the aerodynamic performance upgrade since last year, before opting to delay its rollout until the 2024 season.

The extensive concept revealed by the governing body this week features a raft of significant changes to the WRC's technical and sporting regulations, alongside a plan to address the championship's promotion. The vision aims to attract more manufacturer participation and grow the championship.