Rally Estonia is a WRC promotional event, formerly a round of the European championship, and attracts the full list of entrants from this year's WRC series. This makes it the largest rally event worldwide, outside the WRC calendar itself, and is the prelude to potential full-WRC status for the event from 2022.

Tänak and co-driver Martin Järveoja posted a time of 2 mins 52.3 secs in his Toyota Yaris at the 6.4 km morning test run on Friday, with Evans and Finnish driver Esapekka Lappi (Citroen) each only a tenth of a second off the pace.

Tänak's countryman, veteran driver and former WRC competitor Markko Märtin (Ford), came in seventh, in 3 mins 1.4 secs, with his Estonian co-driver Kristo Kraag.

A total of 105 teams of two are entered into the event, with Estonians particularly well represented, making up almost exactly half the total entry numbers.

In the afternoon qualification run, Evans was fastest at 2 mins 59.2 secs, with Lappi, Andreas Mikkelsen of Norway in the Hyundai, Tänak, and Irishman Craig Breen (Hyundai) following, giving us the starting order of the front runners on Saturday.

The event is hosted in Tartu city, with the rally headquarters and service park at the Tehvandi Sports Center in Otepää.

More information is here.

Video courtesy of ERR's sports portal (commentary in Estonian).

Event entrants and the regular WRC machines put on a pretty good show for spectators.

Spectator-tweeted videos:

Märtin #RallyEstonia pic.twitter.com/4SpWFE1io2

— Ranno Poklonski (@RannoPoklonski) July 12, 2019

Andreas Mikkelsen at #rallyestonia pic.twitter.com/I6lUZ2G12m

— natali (@natalireinn) July 12, 2019

#ElfynEvans on teststage of #RallyEstonia with #msportltd worldrallycar pic.twitter.com/uUMFcBkbaR

— tanns. (@Nmls79) July 12, 2019

Märtin #RallyEstonia pic.twitter.com/zEteERkwZV

— Kristjan Kotkas (@drdiff) July 12, 2019

#AndreasMikk on the mood of #RallyEstonia pic.twitter.com/9PQ3MmMjLZ

— tanns. (@Nmls79) July 12, 2019

ERR's sports portal is liveblogging from the event here.