The ninth round of the 2024 WRC season is already underway, near to Jyväskylä, in central Finland.

"This is a classic event in the WRC series," Tänak said ahead of the race.

"Even though I've been driving here for more than ten years, the roads never get easier. The roads are always challenging, as if you're driving here for the first time," he went on.

Blasting through shakedown @RallyFinland #WRC | #SectoRallyFinland pic.twitter.com/uCjddnJLpj

— FIA World Rally Championship (@OfficialWRC) August 1, 2024

Tänak completed the 4.12 km shakedown run in 2:16.8, trailing his teammate and stage leader Esapekka Lappi by 1.4 seconds, in front of a home crowd.

Lappi's compatriot, reigning champion Kalle Rovanperä (Toyota) was second just 0.2 seconds behind Lappi, while Toyota's Takamoto Katsuta (Japan) finished third, 0.1 seconds behind Rovanperä.

WRC2 class, Estonian Georg Linnamäe came third, Robert Virves posted the seventh fastest time on his first run, and Gregor Jeets clocked in at 24th, 6.9 seconds off stage winner Oliver Solberg.

The first stage proper, a short street stage, starts Thursday evening at 7:05 p.m. with the first full day of stages on Friday, from a little before 8.15 a.m.

Tänak is in second place in the table, just eight points behind his teammate Thierry Neuville (Belgium) and with four more stages to go in the season.

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