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Mārtiņš Sesks set the pace on the 7.33-kilometre Luílhas Qualifying Stage, clocking a blistering time of 4 minutes and 22.7 seconds behind the wheel of his Škoda Fabia RS Rally2.
His Team MRF stablemate for the European Rally Championship season finale, Roope Korhonen, posted the second-fastest time in a Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 (4:23.4 min). Pablo Sarrazin claimed third in a Lancia Ypsilon HF Rally2 Integrale, overcoming a boost pressure valve issue along the way.
"We made changes to the car and I was adjusting a few things on the road section here to see how it felt. It's great to be back, but there's still work to do before I feel completely comfortable. On rallies like this, road cleaning plays a massive role, and I expect the same tomorrow. We're happy with our start position, and it's fantastic to see two MRF cars at the top," said Sesks, who is targeting his fifth career ERC victory.
With the gravel stage deteriorating with each passing car, late runners faced a tough challenge to challenge the benchmark times. Despite the conditions, Léo Rossel (27th on the road) and Jan Solans (25th) produced impressive runs to finish fifth and sixth, slotting in right behind Nikolay Gryazin in fourth.
Seventh place went to Simone Tempestini, followed by Patrick Enok and freestyle mountain biking star Brandon Semenuk. 2025 ERC champion Miko Marczyk completed the top 10, with multiple Portuguese national champion Armindo Araújo and Jakub Matulka trailing just behind.
Ville Vatanen, stepping up to ERC1 for his Rally2 debut following his Fiesta Rally3 Trophy triumph, finished 13th. Teammate Tymek Abramowski, also taking advantage of his 2025 championship prize drive, ended just one spot back.
The stage was not without drama for several contenders. Andrea Mabellini, locked in the battle for the ERC runner-up spot, suffered a rollover at the 5.4-kilometre mark. The Italian managed to limp across the finish line, but his Lancia sustained substantial damage.
Rali Ceredigion winner Kris Meeke, who was chasing a third consecutive triumph in Fafe, was forced to pull over 5.2 kilometres in after losing the front-left wheel of his Toyota. Meanwhile, ERC1 debutant Casey Jay Coleman narrowly avoided a major crash after running off the road.
Photo: ERC
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