This is the fifth time the race has been a full WRC round. Local hero Ott Tänak, now with Hyundai, will aim to win before a home crowd, a feat he last achieved in 2020.

Rally Estonia kicks off on July 17 and runs until July 20. It will be held across 12 stages and 308.35 kilometers in the Tartu, Otepää, Elva, Kanepi, Kambja, Kastre, Nõo, Peipsiääre, and Mustvee municipalities.

Compared with the 2023 Estonian WRC stage, nearly half the route has changed.
A new stage has been added in Hellenurme, and two stages will be held around Peipsi järv.

Only three stages, including the power stage, will be run on Sunday instead of the usual four.

The podium has also been moved from Tartu to the finish of the last stage in Kääriku.

Speaking at the official press conference Thursday, four-time Rally Estonia winner and 2019 world champion Ott Tänak said: "For the Rally Estonia team, it's already a bit of an obligation. At one point it was a dream, now it's about keeping the standard high and not falling below it."

"Competing here has always been positive and challenging for the sportspeople," the Estonian added.

"The roads are quite natural for me. I grew up here and learned to drive here. There are definitely more jumps, but overall I know what to expect," he continued.

"Driving your home rally in front of your fans is an obligation to perform well," Tänak said. "But in this sport, there's always pressure to perform well—whether it's in front of fans, for yourself, or for the team. In the end, it doesn't matter which rally we're driving. The goal is always to collect points and succeed in the championship."

Tänak and co-driver Martin Järveoja won Rally Estonia in 2020, also for Hyundai, when it was a WRC event for the first time. Two years later, they finished third.
In 2024, Estonia lost the event to Latvia.

This year, fans can purchase limited edition fan passes for Tänak and Latvian driver Martinš Sesks.

Tänak currently lies third in the drivers' table after three rounds, behind Elfyn Evans (Wales), looking for his maiden title in the Toyota, and Tänak's teammate and reigning champ Thierry Neuville (Belgium). Four more races are to go ahead of Rally Estonia, starting with the Canary Islands later this month, followed by rounds in Portugal, Sardinia, and Greece.

Over 400,000 people have attended Rally Estonia in its 14 years, starting as a domestic rally championship round. It became a full WRC event in 2020, though the 2019 WRC promo event attracted more spectators.

The official race site in English is here.

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