Fourmaux sets early pace in Saudi Arabia as Irish pair recover from early puncture

The morning didn't begin well for Irish pair Josh McErlean/Eoin Treacy, who lost in excess of two minutes with a front right wheel puncture on SS2 that dropped their Ford Puma Rally1 to 37th position.

Thu, 27 Nov, 2025 - 18:51

Martin Walsh

At the end of the first full day of Rally Saudi Arabia, the final and deciding round of the World Rally Championship, a margin of just 6.9 seconds cover the top three drivers as another trio of drivers continue their WRC title quest, albeit and somewhat unusually, at the latter end of the top ten, both groups headed by French drivers.

Up front Adrien Fourmaux (Hyundai i20 Rally1) has a 6s lead over the Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 of Finland's Sami Pajari with Latvian Martins Sesks (Ford Puma Rally1) 0.9s further behind in third. In the quest for the WRC Drivers' title, Sebastien Ogier leads the way in seventh, pre-event leader Welsh ace Elfyn Evans (who began the rally three points ahead of Ogier) is 40s behind in ninth with Finland's Kalle Rovanpera sandwiched between them, all three in Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 cars. The Irish duo of Josh McErlean/Eoin Treacy (Ford Puma Rally1) are 12th overnight.

On his first WRC outing since Rally Finland last July and for the first time in his career M-Sport Ford driver Martins Sesks set the pace on the morning's opening pair of stages (SS2&3) to move into a 7.3s lead over the Hyundai i20 Rally1 of Adrien Fourmaux, who capitalised on an overshoot by Sesks on SS4 to trim the margin to 1.3s with Sami Pajari (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) just 0.4s further behind, the latter quickest on SS4.

Irish co-driver Aaron Johnston guided Japan's Takamoto Katsuta (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) to sixth spot ahead of the WRC Championship chasing trio of Evans, Ogier and Rovanpera, all of whom suffered due to their road position. Evans, who was first on the road, found traction difficult as he swept the loose gravel from all three stages, he too overshot at the same junction as Sesks. Of the trio Ogier fared best, the Frenchman glad to complete the three stages - in seventh - 22.7s ahead of Evans. A rear left wheel puncture cost Rovanpera some 50s and he arrived at the midday halt in tenth place.

Having extended his lead to 3.9s Sesks, based on split times through SS6, seemed on course to further increase his advantage, only for his Ford Puma Rally1 to collect a rear-right wheel puncture - handing the lead to stage winner Sami Pajari for the first time in his WR career. Adrian Fourmaux (Hyundai i20 Rally1), who gambled by taking no hard tyres for the repeat loop led Pajari by 5.3 with Sesks 3.6s further behind. Ogier retained seventh from Rovanpera and Evans. By SS7 McErlean/Treacy had worked their way to 12th. "It's tough out there, we showed some good pace but we want some more."

The final stage (Super Special 2) of the day saw Sesks close the gap to within 6.9s of top spot ahead of Friday's second leg of six stages totalling 134kilometres.

Rally Saudi Arabia (Round 14, World Rally Championship) Jeddah: 1.A. Fourmaux.A. Coria (Hyundai i20 N Rally) 1h. 18m. 45.3x; 2. S. Pajari/M. Salminen (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1)+6.0s; 3. M. Sesks/R. Francis (Ford Puma Rally1)+6.9s; 4. O. Tanak/M. Jarveoja (Hyundai i20 Rally1)+13.7s; 5. T. Neuville/M. Wydaeghe (Hyundai i20 Rally1)+14.9s; 6. T. Katsuta/A. Johnston (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1)+22.9s; 7. S. Ogier/V. Landais (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1)+44.2s; 8. K. Rovanpera/J. Halttunen (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1)+1m. 21.2s; 9. E. Evans/S. Martin (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1)+1m. 25.3s; 10. G. Munster/L. Louka (Ford Puma Rally1)+2m. 10.9s; 11. O. Solberg/E. Edmondson (Toyota GR Yaris Rally2)+2m. 54.9s; 12. J. McErlean/E. Treacy (Ford Puma Rally1)+3m. 30.1s.