For the avoidance of doubt, Ott Tänak is not a rock star. Except he is.
He definitely is.
It would have been easy to jump in here and knock off another couple of thousand words about how ridiculously – borderline freakishly – darned good Kalle Rovanperä is. It was tempting. How couldn’t you be tempted by what we saw from the 21-year-old in Estonia last week? The world champion in waiting remains buried in the very depths of the deepest purple patch. We all know that.
Instead, I’m going to take a peak a couple of steps down the podium. I’m looking at you, rock star.
Standing in the center of Tartu on Thursday night was a pretty moving experience; the Tänak Army was in full voice. Being an accredited journalist on a round of the World Rally Championship offers plenty of privilege and standing on stage while the finest drivers in the world were welcomed to Tartu for the third WRC season in succession was tempting. But actually it wasn’t.
This time it was all about being in the middle. Tänak’s arrival was the cue for the closest thing to a WRC mosh pit I’ve ever seen. This was admiration and adoration on another level. This was what Estonia had been waiting for.
Courtesy of COVID, this was the first year the organizers had been able to unleash the full force of national fervor on the 2019 world champion. The effect was quite profound. Stepping out of the car, Ott and co-driver Martin Järveoja were visibly taken aback by the wall of noise that hit them.
And both were deeply humbled by the support – especially at a time when everything’s not exactly tickety-boo with the team.
With that appreciation ringing in their ears, the Estonians set about Friday’s stages in a determined mood. The thousands of fans who had crowded into the center of the city for the ceremonial start the previous evening all decamped to the woods north and south of Tartu on day one. Already behind the trees, they would watch i20 #8 from behind their hands.
Tänak’s commitment was breath-taking. The Hyundai was pitched and hurled from corner to corner with extraordinary verve, nerve and raw world champion ability. He set the car on its door handles and left it there all day.
His reward for such brute force and outright bravery? A half minute deficit to the top Toyota. Oh, and a 10-second kick in the teeth for not running in electric mode in the right place.
Apologies, I’m being flippant, rules is, indeed, rules and when you’re told to go quietly, that’s exactly what you have to do. As a side point, it’s probably worth making it clearer exactly where the cars are supposed to be running in EV mode and when.
Anyway, back to our man, the lionhearted local hero.
So, then came the rest of the event and the realization that a Saturday and Sunday spent in full on Friday attack mode would probably have left his Hyundai in the trees and him with a weekend off. He settled for third.
Settled for third. What nonsense. Tänak’s the ultimate competitor. He’s not somebody who can settle for anything other than first.
Back to Tartu and the Town Hall Square late afternoon Sunday. The atmosphere was a little bit different. The expectation was gone, the hopes dashed. After one of the most impressive and dramatic pre-ceremonial finish sequences in the history of the WRC, the crowd was readied. In third place…
The place went bananas. The atmosphere was back. A slightly bashful looking Tänak returned to the stage and smiled. His people roared their approval.
Following the finish, Tänak was slightly humbled by the sort of palpable adoration not seen in our sport for a very long time.
“It’s nice,” he said, “but it would be nicer if we were winning.”
Tänak’s adamant there’s reasons for Hyundai Motorsport to be optimistic. He knows what’s coming and we have to be guided by him.
What’s for sure is that nobody in Alzenau has taken their foot off the throttle and neither will they. What’s also for sure is that Estonia was the first time the i20 N Rally1 had turned a wheel on fast gravel. We know the car was behind – dreadfully far behind – in Monte Carlo for round one. A full-on WRC season afforded no potential for the Korean manufacturer to catch up in the middle of the year – so when it came to a new surface for the first time, that lag wasn’t about to disappear.
The question is, what can be done with the car before Finland? In short, not much. Maybe New Zealand’s similarly pacey stages are a better target for a fast gravel car to shine.
Two years ago, the script for this rally was followed perfectly. Tänak and Järveoja scored a commanding win ahead of those COVID-limited fans. That was special and Estonia and its fervent fan base deserved more of the same this time around.
In a very short time, Estonia has found a special place in the World Rally Championship
It wasn’t to be.
So, what of Estonia’s future in the world championship? Its current deal expired on Sunday afternoon, but it would be a total travesty if it wasn’t extended. And preferably for a good three to five years.
Rally director Urmo Aava talks about wanting to host the best rally in the world. It’s early days right now, but things are looking good. The organization is superb, the roads are finding their feet now, having finally brushed off the Finland warm-up tag, and the atmosphere is second to none.
In a very short time, Estonia has found a special place in the World Rally Championship. It’s probably something to do with people like Gerle Aart. Gerle runs the Elsa café in Otepää. If you’ve never been, you need to have a serious word with yourself and find a way to get there. The food’s amazing (this is thanks to the epic chef Kristina Jaanikesing, who landed into Otepää from her native Ukraine earlier this year) and the hospitality is second-to-none. That’s during the day.
Once the sun starts to set, talk turns to The Shed. The Shed is a very special place. It’s quite literally a wooden outbuilding (as are most sheds) in the back garden of Elsa café. Inside The Shed is some of the best beer, books and ambiance you’ll find anywhere. The books, by the way, can be read, but they’re there mainly to keep the place warm. Not even the vodka and vibe can keep out the cold at minus 20.
What cemented my determination to focus these words on Tänak and Estonia was talking to Gerle about The Shed.
“Ott Tänak has been in there, so,” she said in the sort of Estonian-Irish lilt that comes from spending six years in Cork.
She didn’t pretend to know Ott. She didn’t pretend to be friends with him. She spoke of the Hyundai star with such reverence and appreciation, it was incredible.
So, go eat in Elsas, drink in The Shed and don’t forget to lob three Euros in the direction of the viewing platform for Otepää’s own ski jump. Scaling the top of the tower offers an untouchable view of a fabulous country.
And for Ott? Next year.
