close
close

Tänak takes podium in final minutes at Rally Latvia

Neuville and Tänak occupy the top two places in the drivers’ championship

At the end of the 20 test stages of Rally Latvia, the eventful eighth round of the FIA ​​World Rally Championship (WRC), Hyundai Motorsport now holds first and second place in the drivers’ standings.

Ott Tänak was back on track on Super Sunday, putting his early Latvian woes behind him to take maximum points on Sunday; the Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team driver also inherited third place overall and secured his third podium finish of the season. This moves him up to second in the drivers’ standings, eight points behind team-mate Thierry Neuville.

After provisionally finishing fourth on Saturday – and picking up ten championship points – Tänak was once again on the hunt for a Super Sunday sweep. The Estonian took back-to-back stage wins on SS18 Mazilmāja 1 and SS19 Krogzenji 2 to go into the Power Stage level on time with Sébastien Ogier in the standings.

Troubles for local rider Martin Sesks suddenly brought a podium finish back into contention, but Tänak was only focused on the full points of the day. His superb run through SS20 saw him win his fourth stage of the weekend, full Power Stage and Super Sunday bonus points, as well as third place in the general classification.

Neuville ends a frustrating weekend in Latvia with nine points and maintains a narrow lead over Tänak in the drivers’ championship. Like the previous two days, the Belgian gave it his all in the final four stages to improve his early position on the road. His resilient efforts earned him three Super Sunday and Power Stage points, in addition to the points he scored on Saturday for eighth place.

A difficult weekend for Esapekka Lappi ended in heartbreak with engine failure on the SS20 Mazilmāja 2 Power Stage. The Finn was able to pilot his Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid to the finish but was unable to secure his two provisional championship points from Saturday.

Crew notes: Ott Tänak/Martin Järveoja (#8 Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid)

  • Tanak wins Super Sunday and Power Stage fights to score 22 points in Latvia
  • Est climbs to second in drivers’ standings with third podium in 2024

Thank you said: “We can definitely say that today was a good day. In the end, Saturday wasn’t that bad in terms of pace. We managed to get back into a rhythm after a difficult Friday, where we definitely had the wrong tyre choice and struggled with the set-up. Losing the brakes on the last stage of Friday meant that we didn’t have a good starting position on Saturday, so it felt like the cards were not in our favour, but we managed to get the absolute maximum today. Finland is next, and one of my favourite events – those roads are made for rallies. Toyota will be very quick again, but we will give it our all – we are always on the attack.”

Crew notes: Thierry Neuville/Martijn Wydaeghe (#11 Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid)

  • Belgian retains lead in drivers’ championship after problems in Latvia
  • Crew claim nine points from toughest event of the season so far

New-Ville said: “We weren’t surprised to be so hampered this weekend; I have nothing to add, but I want to thank the team for their resilience and support this weekend, which was very important. We will keep fighting as we have done since the start of the season. We have one more fast rally in Finland, but it probably won’t be as bad as this weekend, because the repeated stages will be a big change for Latvia. I won’t give up and I will keep fighting, but eight gravel rallies in a row are very challenging, and three fast events in a row – where I wasn’t stronger in the past – only adds to that.”

Crew notes: Esapekka Lappi/Janne Ferm (#4 Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid)

  • Heartbreaking engine failure costs Finns provisional points on Saturday
  • Crew hopes to win home game within two weeks

Lappi said: “Unfortunately we had an engine failure on that last stage, but at least that happens now and not earlier in the weekend. Our settings on Friday were completely wrong on all three cars, but yesterday we were all in much better shape after making changes. I think we were misled by Poland and my preparation rally, which had a lot of sandy surfaces, and we went in the wrong direction with the set-up. I think we now have a good base to start from for Finland, and I am definitely looking forward to it.”

President and Team Principal of Hyundai Motorsport Cyril Abiteboul said:

“When we came here we knew it was going to be a challenge, but it was even bigger with the combination of the competitors we faced, the road conditions and the route. However, we have to take things as they are and make the best of them, and that is exactly what we did today. I am extremely proud of what Ott, Thierry and the team have achieved together to defend our lead in both championships, even though they are much tighter than before. By standing on the podium together with Toyota part-timers and scoring the perfect Super Sunday, Ott has shown once again what he can achieve when things don’t go against him. Now we look to Finland and how we can push in a slightly better way, so that we leave this difficult group of gravel rallies as strong as possible.”

Next rally

  • There is only a short break between Rally Latvia and the ninth round of the FIA ​​WRC season, Rally Finland, which takes place from 1 to 4 August.
Related Posts