Ott Tänak is hoping a home run in next month’s Rally Estonia will help unlock more pace from him and his Hyundai i20 N Rally1.
The 2019 world champion will run in the national category of what will be a European Rally Championship event for the first time in seven years. The Tartu-based event sits in the middle of the World Rally Championship’s summer of speed – with Poland, Latvia and Finland coming in quick WRC succession.
An outing on his home roads, which offer similar terrain, will help in Tänak’s attempts to score big in Liepāja and Jyväskylä (Rally Estonia follows Rally Poland).
Tänak has never been more emotional than when he won Estonia’s first ever round of the WRC in 2020
While he won last week’s Rally Italy Sardinia, Tänak admitted his 2024 campaign hadn’t got off to the best of starts. He said: “The first three or four rallies of this season lacked momentum and stability. After that, the blocks have started to fit together more, and the last rallies have been more positive.
“Let’s see what the rest of the year will bring. The whole rally sport is in a whirlwind of innovation and hopefully something interesting will emerge from here (Estonia) and there will be some next steps.”
Tänak added that he was also delighted to give his home fans the opportunity to see his i20 N Rally1 in action in what is the event’s season away from WRC. Rally Estonia returns to the world championship roster next season.
He added: “Our sport at its core is full of adrenaline and a lot of action. That’s what the fans actually like. Rally Estonia has been the innovator for many years and Rally Estonia has always been an example for everyone in the entire series.
After a single home win in 2020, Tänak has been forced to watch Kalle Rovanperä score a hat-trick in Tartu
“My most positive emotion with Rally Estonia is the victory in the first year (2020). After that, again, the blocks have not matched for some reason. This is what we hope to change and win again in the future.”
Rally Estonia runs from July 5-7, with Tänak’s co-driver Martin Järveoja happy to see his home town of Elva back on the itinerary with a city stage. Kambja is a new powerstage, but otherwise the roads around Raanitsa and Karaski remain the same.
