Introducing the nominees:
Mārtiņš Sesks
1st Overall
Considering Sesks’ performance at the weekend, the rest of our nominees may have a hard time even getting a look in…
On home soil, we all expected the 22-year-old to be fast. But what we didn’t expect was for him to win every single stage.
The youngster definitely proved his worth on his debut in Team MRF Tyres’ top-flight squad. The question is: when will he be back?
Efrén Llarena
2nd Overall
Llarena said it himself: “I am from the south of Europe - I’m not used to driving in these conditions!”
The Spaniard arrived in Latvia slightly unfamiliar with the high-speed nature of the stages and expected to give some points away. But he left 46 points clear in the championship after finishing second overall.
If he can maintain this form at the remaining three rounds, things are looking good for the MRF driver.
Mikko Heikkilä
3rd Overall
Heikkilä set an impressive pace - especially on the second day, when he was only outside the top-three times on a single stage.
Sadly, that one stage was the Power Stage and the Fabia man was leapfrogged by a charging Llarena.
All was not lost, though. Third overall was his consolation and we hope we’ll see Mikko and co-driver Samu Vaaleri back in the ERC again soon.
Gregor Jeets
5th Overall
Rally Liepāja was probably one of the best drives of Jeets’ short career.
Before the weekend, his top ERC result was 11th overall in Poland. That quickly got blown out of the water…
At just 21 years of age, the Estonian still has plenty left to learn, but it won’t be long before he’s challenging for the podium.
Alberto Battistolli
7th Overall
Battistolli’s had his fair share of ups and downs this season, and Liepāja was no different.
Dramas included a couple of high-speed spins as well as big time loss after getting caught in a downpour on Saturday.
But there were also plenty of positives, such as his Qualifying Stage win and a trio of top-three stage times.
We head to Rome for Alberto’s home rally later this month - let’s hope the improvements continue.
Óscar Palomo
1st in ERC4 & Junior ERC
Just like his fellow countryman Llarena, Latvia’s roads were a new experience for Palomo. But his stage times suggested otherwise.
The Peugeot hotshot also made a major gain in his championship bid and now leads both ERC4 and the Junior ERC.
Paulo Soria
Clio Trophy by Toksport WRT winner
It was another inch-perfect drive from the Argentinean driver to take victory in the one-make series by almost four minutes.
Three rallies and three wins. With two to go, can anybody stop him?
Finland
Italy
Hungary