Tänak triumphs at Rallye Deutschland again, Toyota sweeps podium
For the third year in a row, Estonian WRC duo Ott Tänak and Martin Järveoja won the Rallye Deutschland. Kris Meeke and Jari-Matti Latvala rounded out Toyota's clean sweep of the podium on Sunday.
After both Thierry Neuville and Sébastien Ogier blew tires on Saturday and Toyota started out with a top-three lead on Sunday, Tänak, Meeke and Latvala had little to do in the final stages but just ensure that they cross the finish line.
Only Hyundai's Dani Sordo managed to stir up some drama as he gained 13 seconds on Latvala in the opening stage on Sunday and gained a lead of 9.8 seconds on the Toyota driver during the power stage.
During the live TV Wolf Power Stage on Sunday, Teemu Suninen maintained the lead in his Ford Fiesta for quite some time before Thierry Neuville ultimately snagged the win, worth five points, in his Hyundai i20. Latvala picked up three points, Meeke two and Ogier one point in the power stage.
Tänak finished eighth in the power stage, but secured the Rallye Deutschland win nonetheless with a 20.8- and 36-second overall lead, respectively, over teammates Meeke and Latvala.
The trio brought Toyota its first sweep of the podium since 1993 and the first in the WRC since Volkswagen's sweep in 2015, likewise in Germany.
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Editor: Aili Vahtla
