It was most noticeable in Monte Carlo. And Sweden. Where was Estonia? Where was Ott Tänak?
The 2019 World Rally champion’s decision to step back from the sport at the end of last year came as a significant shock. In fact, it left his homeland reeling. Markko Märtin and Tänak had maintained Estonia’s position at the very top of rallying’s hierarchy for more than two decades.
And then, the emptiness and the absence of the blue, black and white flags.
Until Safari. And Robert Virves finally deciding, yes, he would go to Kenya. And, yes, he would register for WRC2 points. And yes, he would place his Toksport-run Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 in the top five overall and top of the WRC2 podium.
Listening in to Virves throughout the event, it was impossible not to identify him as a possible successor to the Estonian throne. He sounded the same as the two homeland legends who had passed through Nairobi before him. And the approach was the same: guarded, conservative and very, very fast.
Yes, the world wants to see Tänak back in a rally car as soon as possible (and Märtin if he’s up for it…), but it’s fair to say that Estonia’s future in rallying looks as bright as any right now.
Beyond Virves, there is M-Sport’s Romet Jürgenson and Toyota’s Jaspar Vaher. Their ages are 25, 26 and 18 respectively. That’s what you call future-proofing.
“It’s nice for Estonia,” Tänak told DirtFish.
Has he been part of the trio’s journey?
“From the background, I guess, yeah,” he said. “Romet [Jürgenson] and Robert [Virves], for sure, they’ve been texting and calling quite often. But, previously we were doing the same rallies, so of course, I always try to help as much as possible.
“Now I think all of them, they have actually a very good package. Like Jaspar [Vaher], the Toyota program, I think it’s super-efficient with everything you need. And same with Romet, with Malcolm [Wilson]. It seems like they’ve been upgrading the Fiesta and it’s very competitive at some stages.
“He just needs to put together a better rally – it seems like some stages he’s able to do well. Robert has now quite a few years of experience in WRC2 and a full Škoda program. I guess he also has everything. It seems like three drivers with some very good programs. I guess it’s just up to them now to take the best out of it.”
Jürgenson has contested all three WRC events so far in 2026, and also competes in Croatia
Tänak has seen the sport from all directions. At the top of the 2017 regulation switch, he was on top of the world: an all-conquering, dominant force who should have won more than one world title. Rewind four years and he was at home and out of a drive.
The memory of a 2013 season on the sidelines brings sharp focus to the task which sits ahead of his countrymen.
“Today it’s nice,” he said, “but you never know what tomorrow brings and it’s still a very expensive sport. And obviously, you know, it’s like the nature that only the strongest will survive.
“You can’t have too many bad rallies. You need to focus to do your best and it’s the same for them.”
