Championship leader Ott Tänak says running first on the road will make it “more difficult” to win back to back on Rally Finland.
The Estonian took the win here 12 months ago as he began his fine run of form towards the end of 2018 and this year comes to Finland ahead of Sebastien Ogier and Thierry Neuville at the top of the Drivers’ Standings in the FIA World Rally Championship.
Tänak has won three events so far in 2019 and he said ahead of the Finnish event this weekend: “I’m really looking forward to getting the second part of the season started on Rally Finland. It’s a rally that I enjoy a lot with the fast and smooth roads, and it was an incredible feeling to win last year.”
“Of course, we will try to achieve the same result this year, but it looks as though it will be more difficult, as we will be running first on the road on the Friday.”
He also, along with drivers such as Teemu Suninen, Esapekka Lappi and Andres Mikkelsen, competed on Rally Estonia during the summer break and he continued: “Two weeks ago we took part in Rally Estonia and it was great to win the rally again in front of so many fans, but it was also a really good test for Rally Finland. I believe that we learned a lot, so I’m feeling well-prepared.”
Tanak has a four-point lead over Ogier, with Neuville a further three points adrift in third.
Round nine of the 2019 FIA World Rally Championship begins on Thursday evening, with daily updates on The Checkered Flag throughout the weekend.