In the previous round in Finland, Tänak was one of the top favourites to win. However, the Estonian Hyundai driver’s journey was cut short when he went off the road at high speed, and his Hyundai crashed into a birch tree.
Tänak’s co-driver, Martin Järveoja, spent one night in the hospital after the accident, but he has since recovered from the heavy impact.
The retirement and zero points in Central Finland dealt a significant blow to Tänak’s championship hopes. He dropped to third in the standings, trailing his teammate Thierry Neuville, who is firmly in first place, by 31 points.
You can view the full World Rally Championship standings here.
However, there is still enough of the season left to close even a larger points gap. Tänak will be looking to make up ground this upcoming weekend as the battle for points continues at the Acropolis Rally in Greece.
Tänak has reached the podium twice in his career at the iconic Acropolis Rally.
“The profile at Acropolis Rally is nice: the roads are wider than Portugal and Sardinia and the surface is rougher and slower, conditions in which the car has been previously performed well. This is an event you can enjoy as a driver, but the rough gravel can make the loop quite demanding for both the car and crew,” Tänak acknowledges.
“You need to have a well calibrated car to get a good rhythm and the better the feeling in the car, the easier it is to do a good job. You need to be able to trust it while still feeling the limits.”
Tänak achieved his only win of the season so far in the gravel event in Sardinia, which in some ways resembles the nature of the Acropolis Rally. Tänak has a clear goal for the weekend.
“Martin and I are definitely looking forward to a strong result for the team and for ourselves to keep us in the championship fight,” Tänak states.
The Acropolis Rally shakedown will take place on Thursday, with the competition getting into full swing on Friday.
