Latvian rally driver Mārtiņš Sesks, alongside his co-driver Renārs Francis, began the second stage of the World Rally Championship (WRC) season in a modest manner, finishing ninth in the first stage held in Umeå, Sweden. The fastest time of the stage was recorded by Swedish driver Oliver Solberg from the Toyota Gazoo team, who completed the snowy course in 5 minutes and 53.1 seconds, indicating the challenges posed by the winter weather conditions. Sesks' team, M-Sport Ford, finished 18.2 seconds slower than Solberg, and among the WRC participants, he managed to surpass two competitors, with over 50 teams competing in various categories in Sweden.