Tänak heads to Rally Japan with a 25-point deficit to Neuville. The gap is significant, but of course, if Neuville runs into trouble, the Estonian’s chances in the title fight would increase considerably.
However, Tänak anticipates major challenges in Japan. It won’t be an easy ride.
“Rally Japan is another pretty challenging event, probably one of the most difficult we have done on tarmac,” Tänak predicted.
“It’s definitely the slowest tarmac rally we have done this year; it’s very twisty, narrow, more or less slow everywhere. Normally the stages are never-ending, so together with surface changes and general challenges it’s a tricky event,” Tänak continued.
Both championships are still at stake in Rally Japan. The drivers’ title will go to either Neuville or Tänak. In the manufacturers’ championship, Toyota is still challenging Hyundai, but the Korean manufacturer has a 15-point lead.
“Japan is crucial for all the championships, so we are definitely planning to do everything we can to give our best performance. With the situation we are in in the championships, we cannot afford to hold back,” Tänak emphasised.
For the manufacturers’ championship, Toyota would need a perfect performance while Hyundai would have to suffer a significant setback. Nevertheless, Tänak believes the manufacturers’ title race is still wide open.
“We know Toyota will go all in and the points difference is pretty small, so we definitely need to fight to keep our lead. All of us need to do their best job: will go into this in fighting mode with the plan to give it our best,” Tänak concluded.
