Tänak was forced to retire from the rally for the first time on Friday morning after colliding with a deer. Hyundai repaired Tänak’s car for Saturday, allowing him to continue the competition.
However, Hyundai announced during the midday service on Saturday that Tänak would not be participating in the afternoon special stages.
“We decided to retire car #8 for the day in order for Ott and Martin (co-driver Järveoja) and the team to focus on their push for points in Super Sunday tomorrow,” the team stated.
Tänak had no stakes on Saturday, as he had no chance to compete for the conditional points awarded on Saturday evening.
On Sunday, the Estonian will undoubtedly be in full attack mode, as there are separate daily points up for grabs for the top seven fastest drivers, along with additional points for the top five in the Power Stage. The maximum points haul for the day is a substantial 12 points.
The Estonian star has a good opportunity to still secure a decent amount of points from Poland. However, his task will not be easy, as Tänak will have the first starting position for Sunday’s special stages. Loose gravel may complicate his driving, especially in the morning when the stages are run for the first time.
There are still three special stages to be run on Saturday in the Rally Poland. The competition at the top is extremely tight, with Kalle Rovanperä, Elfyn Evans, and Andreas Mikkelsen within three seconds of each other.
