Latvian rally standout Mārtiņš Sesks is set to make his competitive cross-country rallying debut at the AKPOL Baja Poland 2026, running from August 27 to 30. Sesks will pilot the T3-class “VIKING CHALLENGER” buggy—a custom, domestically built machine engineered by Sports Racing Technologies (SRT) for the FIA European Baja Championship.
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Engineering the Challenger: Inside SRT’s T3 Machine
The transition to off-road endurance racing demands a radical departure from traditional championship hardware. Built entirely in Latvia by Sports Racing Technologies over a three-year development cycle, the “VIKING CHALLENGER” is a FIA-licensed Challenger (T3) class prototype tailored specifically to absorb punishing terrain.
Beneath its closed carbon-kevlar composite bodywork lies a 1.0-liter turbocharged powerplant paired with a rally-raid-specific six-speed sequential gearbox and LSD differentials. To handle punishing compressions across European baja routes, the vehicle utilizes a Brembo braking package alongside a massive 500 mm suspension travel featuring four-way adjustable dampers.
| Component | Engineering Specification |
|---|---|
| Class | FIA Challenger (T3) |
| Powertrain | 1.0L Turbocharged Engine |
| Transmission | 6-Speed Sequential with LSD Differentials |
| Suspension | 500 mm Travel, 4-Way Adjustable Dampers |
| Bodywork | Fully Closed Carbon/Kevlar Fibre |
According to SRT head Ģirts Krūzmanis, the vehicle’s design philosophy centers on performance, driver comfort, serviceability, and quick field repairs. “Our long-standing successful cooperation with Mārtiņš continues by challenging him in the rally-raid discipline,” Krūzmanis stated. “It is a special feeling to see a Latvian driver and co-driver at the wheel of a domestically engineered car built with one ultimate goal: winning rally-raids, chief among them the Dakar Rally.”
Shifting Paradigms: From WRC Notes to Blind Navigation
Classical WRC rallying allows crews extensive reconnaissance windows to millimetrically polish pace notes.
Rally-raid competition strips away that security blanket. Routes remain completely unverified until the official start, forcing crews to rely entirely on roadbooks supplied immediately before staging.
“This will be a completely new experience and a great challenge for me,” Sesks noted. “In classical rallying, Renārs and I spend a lot of time perfecting the pace note to drive at maximum speed. By contrast, in rally-raid, the route is a secret until the start, and we head out with only a prepared roadbook.”
With stages running for hours across brutal terrain, navigation errors translate directly into catastrophic time loss. Sesks will share the cockpit with experienced co-driver Didzis, whose expertise will dictate their endurance strategy. “Here, the co-driver is a navigator who must recognize and give precise directions, because a single navigation mistake can cost massive amounts of time,” Sesks explained. “The stage can last several hours, so all attention—much like a marathon—is focused on maximum risk analysis, conserving the machinery, and our own strength.”
The Weekend Schedule at Baja Poland 2026
The action kicks off on Friday, August 28, with shakedown tests running from 10:00 to 14:00 local time around Dobra and Wołczkowo. The ceremonial prologue unfolds at 17:00 in the Szczecin service park, culminating in an official opening ceremony, press conference, and top-ten starting position reveals at the iconic Wały Chrobrego boulevard at 20:00.
Competitive hostilities peak on Saturday, August 29, as crews tackle the grueling off-road tracks of the Drawsko military range starting at 07:00. The decisive final loop begins Sunday, August 30 at 08:20, leading toward the podium celebration and trophy presentation at 14:30 outside the ENEA Arena in Szczecin.
The Takeaway
Sesks’ pivot toward off-road endurance racing highlights a broader career diversification into cross-country disciplines.
