Ott Tänak third after Rally Finland stage one
Ott Tänak heads into the first full day of Rally Finland stages in overall third place after Friday's evening stage, while WRC2 driver Georg Linnamäe was second in his class.
His teammate at Hyundai, Belgian Thierry Neuville, won the 3.48 km stage, held on the streets of Jyväskylä, in 2:46.1, and was followed by Toyota's Takamoto Katsuta (Toyota). Tänak is third. 1.3 seconds behind the leader and just 0.2 seconds behind Katsuta.
Veteran driver and eight-time world champion Sebastien Ogier (Toyota) was fourth, while reigning champion Kalle Rovanperä (Toyota) was the first Finn in fifth place. His compatriot and Tänak's teammate, Esapekka Lappi, was seventh, with Frenchman Adrien Fourmaux, the first M-Sport Ford finisher, separating them. Evans finished eighth, followed by young Finn Sami Pajari ninth for Toyota. Belgian Gregoire Munster (M-Sport) rounded off the top 10.
"I'm looking forward to it, but I have no idea what to expect or how we will perform. It's a great rally, demanding but incredibly fun. [On Friday] we have to drive well, we'll give it our best!" Tänak said after Friday's stage.
Neuville, 36, is looking for his first win in Finland having finished second last year behind Elfyn Evans (Wales), a full decade after he had last been on the podium. More broadly the Belgian is also looking for his first ever WRC drivers' title, with Tänak – who has won Rally Finland three times – breathing down his neck just a few points behind, with four more races to go in 2024 after this one.
Before Rally Estonia became a full WRC event a few years ago, Rally Finland was seen as the "home" race for Estonian drivers and spectators alike – the number of people making the trip north to watch the race could sometimes stretch into the tens of thousands. Marko Märtin first won for Estonia back in 2003, Tänak last did so (again for Hyundai) in 2022.
In the WRC2 category, In the WRC2 category, Estonian Toyota's Georg Linnamäe (Toyota) was second, 1.1 seconds behind stage winner Oliver Solberg (Škoda) Robert Virves (Škoda) came ninth in the second tier category. Gregor Jeets is also competing for Estonia.
In the WRC3 junior class, Estonian Romet Jürgenson claimed first place in the opening stage, beating his closest competitor by 0.6 seconds.
The race continues at 8.13 a.m. today with the 17.96 km Laukaa 1 stage, and eight more follow Friday. There are six stages on Saturday and four on Sunday, the last to begin at 1.15 p.m.
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Editor: Andrew Whyte
