Tänak, starting as the first car on the road, set a remarkable time considering his position. The Estonian beat Toyota’s Kalle Rovanperä by 1.2 seconds in the Gmina Mrągowo special stage.
“Had an okay stage, in this position there is nothing much more we can do. I just can’t carry the speed and there is no physical grip,” Tänak summarised the first stage of the morning.
Rovanperä strengthened his position at the top of the rally as Hyundai’s Andreas Mikkelsen suffered a severe puncture. The tyre came off the rim, and the right rear corner of Mikkelsen’s car was completely damaged by the time he reached the finish. Mikkelsen confirmed that he had hit a bank.
At the same time, Toyota’s Elfyn Evans moved up to second place in the rally. He is now 17.4 seconds behind Rovanperä.
Rovanperä candidly acknowledged Tänak’s superiority, and the main objective was fulfilled for the Finn.
“The main thing is that we are keeping the lead. You can imagine how good Tänak is on the stage when he is first on the road, so props to him,” Rovanperä said honestly.
Tänak’s teammate Thierry Neuville had a better starting position for the stage but lost 12.5 seconds to Tänak.
“I couldn’t do Tänak’s time. I had a good stage, I follow my rhythm. I can’t do more at the moment. It’s definitely a good time from Tänak and I think I should be close to the fastest,” Neuville said.
Mikkelsen’s puncture dropped him to fourth place overall, while Ford’s Adrien Fourmaux, who has been consistently performing well all weekend, moved up to a podium position. The Frenchman is now 40.2 seconds behind Rovanperä.
On Super Sunday, Tänak leads and Rovanperä is in second. Championship leader Neuville is fifth for the day and overall. The Belgian is 12.5 seconds behind the leader. Ford sensation Martins Sesks has now fallen to sixth place.
There are three more special stages to be driven on Sunday in Rally Poland.
Rally Poland standings after SS16/19:
| POS | Driver | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Kalle Rovanperä | Toyota | 2:11:28.7 |
| 2. | Elfyn Evans | Toyota | +17.4 |
| 3. | Adrien Fourmaux | Ford | +40.2 |
| 4. | Andreas Mikkelsen | Hyundai | +1:02.9 |
| 5. | Thierry Neuville | Hyundai | +1:09.6 |
| 6. | Martins Sesks | Ford | +1:15.1 |
| 7. | Gregoire Munster | Ford | +1:48.0 |
| 8. | Takamoto Katsuta | Toyota | +2:06.6 |
| 9. | Sami Pajari | Toyota | +6:15.2 |
| 10. | Robert Virves | Skoda | +6:44.0 |
Super Sunday standings:
| POS | Driver | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Ott Tänak | Hyundai | 10:43.5 |
| 2. | Kalle Rovanperä | Toyota | +1.2 |
| 3. | Elfyn Evans | Toyota | +2.5 |
| 4. | Adrien Fourmaux | Ford | +4.4 |
| 5. | Thierry Neuville | Hyundai | +12.5 |
| 6. | Martins Sesks | Ford | +18.1 |
| 7. | Gregoire Munster | Ford | +24.7 |
Rally Poland Itinerary (CET):
Thursday 27.6. 10:01 Shakedown: Lubiewo (5.10 km) 19:05 SS1: Mikołajki Arena 1 (2.50 km) Friday 28.6. 08:45 SS2: Stańczyki 1 (29.40 km) 10:20 SS3: Wieliczki 1 (12.90 km) *CANCELLED 11:10 SS4: Olecko 1 (13.20 km) 14:05 SS5: Stańczyki 2 (29.40 km) 15:40 SS6: Wieliczki 2 (12.90 km) 16:30 SS7: Olecko 2 (13.20 km) 19:00 SS8: Mikołajki Arena 2 (2.50 km) Saturday 29.6. 08:30 SS9: Świętajno 1 (18.50 km) 09:45 SS10: Gołdap 1 (19.90 km) 10:35 SS11: Czarne 1 (22.40 km) 13:25 SS12: Mikołajki Arena 3 (2.50 km) 16:00 SS13: Świętajno 2 (18.50 km) 17:15 SS14: Gołdap 2 (19.90 km) 18:05 SS15: Czarne 2 (22.40 km) Sunday 30.6. 09:00 SS16: Gmina Mrągowo 1 (20.80 km) 10:05 SS17: Mikołajki 1 (10.73 km) 12:20 SS18: Gmina Mrągowo 2 (20.80 km) 14:15 SS19: Mikołajki 2 (10.73 km) *Power Stage
