Tänak veered violently off the road at a high-speed section, leaving the Hyundai WRC car in a terribly battered state.
Naturally, Tänak’s campaign in Monte Carlo ended there, but in the very next rally in Sweden, the Estonian finished an impressive second.
In a reaction video released by Hyundai, Tänak was shown the crash again.
“It hurt, I can say,” Tänak commented in the video.
“One of the most spectacular ones I’ve ever had, but then luckily everything went well,” Tänak continued.
Neither Tänak nor his co-driver Martin Järveoja suffered serious injuries in the dramatic crash. The duo got off with just a scare, even though all the ingredients for a disaster were present.
Tänak started the Monte Carlo rally brimming with confidence, which perhaps later backfired.
“I remember the first stage, very high grip. The new car was quite challenging. It was very bumpy stage as well,” Tänak recalled the start of the rally.
The severe crash occurred on the first full day of racing on Friday. Even before the dramatic crash, Tänak had spun.
Tänak’s car veered off the road on a fast corner, making him a mere passenger.
“The corner was quite easy and simple, but there was just a bit of a bump, which I probably didn’t feel during the recce, and it caught us out.”
“It hurt quite a bit and it was difficult to breathe, and then I had some body damage, but we were able recover by the next rally.”
“These are days you don’t want to remember,” Tänak said.
You can watch Tänak’s dramatic crash and his interview in the YouTube embed below.
