Fafe, Portugal, Oct 26: Team MRF Tyres has been crowned 2026 FIA European Rally Championship Teams’ Champion, completing another remarkable European campaign with a commanding performance at Rally 6 Cities North of Portugal. This is MRF Tyres fourth FIA European Rally Championship (ERC) Teams’ title in five years. Team MRF Tyres concluded the championship with 233 points, a commanding 98-point advantage over its closest rival.
The Indian manufacturer of premium competition tyres celebrated its fourth Teams’ Championship title, adding the 2026 crown to those secured in 2022, 2023 and 2025, while Mārtiņš Sesks and Renārs Francis delivered a spectacular overall victory in the final round of the season.
The four titles in five seasons highlight MRF Tyres’ sustained commitment to R&D-driven innovation and technical excellence in European rallying. Rallying provides a demanding environment to evaluate tyre compounds, tread patterns, construction and performance under varying terrain, temperatures, loads and driving conditions. Data on grip, traction, wear, heat generation and durability, combined with post-event tyre inspections and engineering analysis, helps identify performance gaps and refine tyre designs, material formulations and structural parameters. These insights support the development and validation of competition tyres and inform technologies that can be adapted for broader product applications. The Portuguese finale provided an emphatic demonstration of that potential. MRF Tyres-equipped crews claimed 16 fastest stage times from the rally’s 17 special stages with three different drivers, an exceptional statistic in an event featuring some of Europe’s most competitive Rally2 drivers.
The team featured an international line-up of drivers, including Mārtiņš Sesks, Roope Korhonen, Patrick Enok, Simone Tempestini, Andrei Gîrtofan, Nicolas Otto, Erik Cais, Martin Vlček, Frank Tore Larsen and Eyvind Brynildsen.
For the final round in Portugal, MRF Tyres fielded six crews across its official Team MRF Tyres and MRF Tyres Dealers Team programmes. The gravel stages around Fafe tested the crews and their tyres, bringing the season to a close.
“We worked a lot towards this,” said Mārtiņš Sesks. “Of course, it wasn’t easy for us and Roope today, as we both had some technical issues. The pace we were setting both yesterday and today meant we had to push really hard. Yesterday was all about giving everything from the beginning, while today was more about understanding what we could and couldn’t do. In the end, we played it safe, and it paid off. A huge thank you to MRF Tyres for their support and hard work. It’s just a shame we couldn’t bring home a one-two finish for the team.”
The 2026 championship adds to MRF Tyres’ record in European rallying as it continues to pursue further opportunities in international motorsport.