› Sharing a Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 from Team MRF Tyres, Mārtiņš Sesks and co-driver Renārs Francis from Latvia win the final round of the 2026 FIA European Rally Championship.
› Mikołaj Marczyk from Poland (Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 from ORLEN Team) secures second position overall in the Drivers’ Championship.
› Škoda crew Teemu Suninen/Antti Haapala from Finland became the new FIA European Rally Champions* already after the previous round.
Guimarães (POR), 26 October 2026 – With the 2026 FIA European Rally Champions already crowned, the Rally 6 Cities North of Portugal was all about the fight for the runner-up position. Škoda crew Mikołaj Marczyk and co-driver Szymon Gospodarczyk went head-to-head with Lancia’s Andrea Mabellini/Virginia Lenzi. But it was another Škoda crew that claimed victory in Portugal: Mārtiņš Sesks and co-driver Renārs Francis from Latvia.
After a two-year absence, Portugal was back in the calendar of the FIA European Rally Championship. The Rally 6 Cities North of Portugal served as the closing event of the 2026 season. Guimarães hosted the start and finish ceremonies, while the service park was located in Fafe. The route featured 17 gravel stages, covering 181.10 kilometres.
Having secured the title already after the previous round, Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 driver Teemu Suninen attended the season finale only as a spectator. He saw an impressive performance of Mārtiņš Sesks and co-driver Renārs Francis already during the Qualifying Stage. “I had only around 30 kilometres of testing to adapt to the Škoda Fabia RS Rally2,” explained Mārtiņš Sesks, who usually competes in the FIA World Rally Championship.
From the outset, the rally turned into a battle for victory between Mārtiņš Sesks/Renārs Francis and Roope Korhonen/Anssi Viinikka right from the start. The duel between the MRF Tyres teammates from Latvia and Finland was so intense, that both crews won 15 of the 17 stages. Mārtiņš Sesks/Renārs Francis were the fastest six times. At the end of the first leg, the Škoda crew led their Toyota opponents by 10.5 seconds.
Already during Saturday, several crews hit trouble. That included “Iron Dames” Sarah Rumeau and co-driver Julie Amblard. The newly crowned French Gravel Champions rolled their 2C Competition-run Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 into retirement. Andrea Mabellini, who came to Portugal second overall with a lead of six points over Mikołaj Marczyk, suffered a similar fate (SS7).
However, with the Italian out of the running, the Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 driver from Poland only needed a decent finish to secure second place in the championship. “From the moment Andrea and Virginia stopped, it was all about strategy and tactics for us,” admitted Mikołaj Marczyk. Eighth position earned him enough points to overtake Andrea Mabellini in the final standings. Because Mikołaj Marczyk competed in the Royal Rally of Scandinavia together with Daniel Dymurski, his usual navigator Szymon Gospodarczyk finished third in the Co-Drivers’ Championship.
Meanwhile, the duel between Mārtiņš Sesks/Renārs Francis and Roope Korhonen/Anssi Viinikka continued on Sunday. After stage 13, the Škoda crew lost the lead due to an issue with a damper. Fortunately, a service break was next. However, even after repairs, the Latvians lost a couple of seconds more. The fight took another twist when the Finns car lost rear wheel drive (SS15). With only two stages remaining, Mārtiņš Sesks/Renārs Francis were back on top. They kept the lead until the finish, making history as sixth different Škoda crew to win a round of the 2026 FIA European Rally Championship.
“We both experienced some technical issues. In the end, we were a bit luckier. But Roope and Anssi made us work really hard for that victory,” said Mārtiņš Sesks at the finish line. “Yesterday, we gave it our all from the outset. Today was more about seeing, what we could do. Ultimately, we played it safe, and it paid off.”
Five Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 crews finished the season finale inside the top ten. Jan Solans/Rodrigo Sanjuán from Spain (Team PH.Ph.) came home fourth ahead of Simone Tempestini/Francesca Maria Maior from Romania (Team MRF Tyres). Local heroes Armindo Araújo/Luís Ramalho from The Racing Factory secured the seventh place followed by Mikołaj Marczyk/Szymon Gospodarczyk.
The final result of the 2026 FIA European Rally Championship* features seven Škoda drivers inside the top ten. Alongside champion Teemu Suninen and vice champion Mikołaj Marczyk, Simone Tempestini from Romania, Mārtiņš Sesks, Jakub Matulka from Poland and Giandomenico Basso from Italy competed with a rally car from Mladá Boleslav.
Number of the rally: 6
Victory at the Rally 6 Cities North of Portugal for Mārtiņš Sesks/Renārs Francis (Team MRF Tyres) was the sixth win across the seven FIA European Rally Championship rounds for a Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 crew. Other victories went to José Antonio Suárez/Alberto Iglesias Pin (Recalvi Team), Mikko Heikkilä/Kristian Temonen (TGS Worldwide), Roberto Daprà/Luca Guglielmetti (Delta Rally Team), eventual FIA European Rally Champions* Teemu Suninen/Antti Haapala (The Racing Factory), Adam Březík/Zdeněk Bělák jnr. (Samohýl Škoda Team) and finally Mārtiņš Sesks/Renārs Francis (Team MRF Tyres).
Result Rally 6 Cities North of Portugal (POR), 23-25 October 2026,
7th round of the FIA European Rally Championship
1 Mārtiņš Sesks/Renārs Francis (LVA/LVA), Škoda Fabia RS Rally2, 2:05:42.1 hours
2 Pablo Sarrazin/Yannick Roche (FRA/FRA), Lancia Ypsilon Rally2 HF Integrale, +1:02.9 minutes
3 Roope Korhonen/Anssi Viinikka (FIN/FIN), Toyota GR Yaris Rally2, +1:25.0 minutes
4 Jan Solans/Rodrigo Sanjuán (ESP/ESP), Škoda Fabia RS Rally2, +1:48.0 minutes
5 Simone Tempestini/Francesca Maria Maior (ROU/ROU), Škoda Fabia RS Rally2, +2:28.4 minutes
6 Arthur Pelamourgues/Bastien Pouget (FRA/FRA), Hyundai i20 N Rally2, +3:19.0 minutes
7 Armindo Araújo/Luís Ramalho (POR/POR), Škoda Fabia RS Rally2, +3:25.8 minutes
8 Mikołaj Marczyk/Szymon Gospodarczyk (POL/POL), Škoda Fabia RS Rally2, +4:00.3 minutes
Final Standings 2026 FIA European Rally Championship/Drivers*
1 Teemu Suninen (FIN), Škoda, 137 points
2 Mikołaj Marczyk (POL), Škoda, 103 points
3 Andrea Mabellini (ITA), Lancia, 98 points
4 Simone Tempestini (ROU), Škoda, 72 points
5 Mārtiņš Sesks (LVA), Škoda, 63 points
6 Jakub Matulka (POL), Škoda, 58 points
* Subject to confirmation of the results by the FIA
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