Top Performer – Ott Tanak and Martin Jarveoja
Victory in Finland driving inferior machinery against the might of Toyota on home soil, and the in-form Kalle Rovanpera, was something special. Hyundai’s Ott Tanak and Martin Jarveoja were simply in a different league in Finland and rightfully deserve the top performer award.
The fact Tanak described this as his “best” and “most satisfying” win from a WRC career that has yielded 16 victories, goes someway in explaining what he achieved at this year’s gravel grand prix.
The 2019 world champion had to wrestle an unpredictable i20 N through some the most revered and demanding roads on the WRC calendar, while fending off a fleet of Toyotas. Considering Tanak was beaten on similar roads by almost two minutes in Estonia, three weeks ago, added further gloss to a first win for Hyundai in Toyota’s backyard of Jyvaskyla.
Tanak’s drive was maximum attack from start to finish and reminiscent of a Colin McRae all or nothing approach, and it was the former that won through.
The Estonian admitted to his hands shaking after runs through stages, showcasing the incredible commitment to haul the very best from his i20 N that his teammates Thierry Neuville and Oliver Solberg were unable to unlock. While openly admitting that Finland’s roads are not among his favourite, Neuville finished more than two minutes adrift despite a trouble free run.
Tanak also showed his class by fending off two concerted attacks from Toyota. First, he stayed ahead of Esapekka Lappi, who closed to within 3.8s of the lead at the end of Friday. But this performance was bettered by holding off a charging Rovanpera across Saturday and Sunday to defeat the championship leader by 6.8s.
This victory will most definitely be a contender for drive of the season.
Kalle Rovanpera, Jonne Halttunen, Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT Toyota GR Yaris Rally1
Photo by: McKlein / Motorsport Images
Honourable mentions: Kalle Rovanpera, Jari Huttunen
Rovanpera faced a weight of expectation for his homecoming following a dominant start to the season that is highly likely to end with the 21-year-old becoming the youngest ever world champion.
However, Rovanpera thrived under the pressure and was boosted by the overwhelming support he received from the thousands of fans that lined the stages. Rovanpera threw everything at trying to score a win that he and the crowd craved yet didn’t necessarily need given his commanding lead in the championship. In the end he came up…
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