Latvian rally driver Mārtiņš Sesks brought his Ford Puma Rally1 to Riga on August 10, offering a rare public look at one of only eight factory-built WRC machines in existence. Sesks detailed the vehicle’s massive six-figure value and rapid mechanical rebuilds following a crash in Finland.
Parked outside the telecommunications and technology company Tet office on Dzirnavu Street in central Riga, the Ford Puma Rally1 drew crowds until the evening of August 10. The exhibition gave spectators a close-up view of a machine that rarely stays in Latvia outside of competition windows. Mārtiņš stated that the car stays in England and they only drive it in competitions, adding that he has been driving this car for his third season.
Inside the Rarity and Value of a Ford Puma Rally1
Built exclusively at the Ford factory in England, the car is part of a strictly limited global fleet. According to the driver, just eight such specimens exist worldwide, and all of them belong directly to the factory team. That unique status means standard retail channels do not apply.
Mārtiņš noted that this car was built in England at the Ford factory, there are only eight such specimens in the world, and you cannot even buy one like it.
When asked about the financial worth of the machine, Sesks noted that the value sits firmly in a six-figure sum range. Beneath the outer shell, which shares little more than a windshield, tailgate, and brand emblem with a consumer road car, sits a powerplant capable of generating 480 zirgspēki (horsepower). Sesks singled out the rear wing as perhaps the most interesting thing in this car, while the engine bay houses the heavy-duty mechanics required for top-tier rally stages. Uz jautājumu, kādēļ izvēle kritusi tieši uz Ford, Sesks atbild ar sportisku salīdzinājumu: Sesks compared the situation to playing on a professional hockey team, explaining that you play on the team with which you have signed a contract. Šis gads Ford Puma Rally1 ir īpašs, jo noslēdzas pašreizējo tehnisko noteikumu ēra, pēc kuras šīs mašīnas vienkārši stāvēs komandas bāzē, pirms tās vēlāk varētu nonākt kolekcionāru rokās.
Lightning Repairs After the Finnish WRC Crash
While the machine commands immense respect on the circuit, it is not immune to the hazards of competitive driving. Earlier in August, Sesks and co-driver Renārs Francis suffered a heavy crash during the World Rally Championship stage in Finland. Social media video captured the car tumbling off the road into a ditch and landing among tree trunks near the edge of the forest.
The rear of the vehicle sustained heavy structural damage, threatening to end their weekend prematurely. However, a crew of 10 mechanics executed a rapid repair operation, completing the rebuild in just three and a half hours to get the car back into competition shape.
Mārtiņš explained that not only do they, as drivers, train to drive fast in rallies, but their team’s technical staff also trains and works so that, if necessary in various situations, they are able to fix the car very quickly and efficiently.
Mārtiņš Sesks, via 1188
Navigating the WRC Schedule and Family Legacy
Competing in the WRC for his third season with Ford, Sesks balances demanding international travel with a family legacy in motorsport. As the grandson of Soviet Rally Champion and Kurzeme rally pioneer Mārtiņš Sesks, and the son of rally driver Uldis Sesks, the competitor represents the third generation of an established racing family. Rather than adding pressure, Sesks views that lineage as a source of grounding and perspective, noting that the family’s deep understanding of the sport’s risks provides a sense of peace.
Reflecting on his competitive results so far, the driver maintains a pragmatic mindset regarding the realities of motorsport, explaining that sometimes the results do not fully reflect the actual events on the track.
Mārtiņš observed that for an athlete it is always the case that if you have not won, then everything else no longer counts.
Sesks is scheduled to drive the vehicle at the Red Bull Showrun event over the weekend in Latvia. Afterward, the team will prepare for upcoming European rally rounds using a different vehicle before Sesks returns to the official WRC calendar for the Sardinia rally stage in October.
Worth a look