Estonian Ott Tänak (Hyundai) knows how to hold on to his advantage in the Ypres Rally in Belgium this Sunday to take victory over the general, not like this the Power Stage, where the leader of the World Championship, Finn Kalle Rovanpera (Toyota), won the consolation prize after an accident forced him to leave on Friday.
“Winning here was a big surprise for us, almost the same as in Finland. (previous World Cup test). We didn’t expect it, but we were able to do it,” said the winner at the finish line, who was second in the world championship.
Tänak entered the final day of competition with a lead of 8.2 seconds over Briton Elfyn Evans (Toyota) and emerged with the idea of controlling the race and managing the gap.
Evans put pressure on him in the first stage, where he cut 1.1 seconds from him, but the Estonian was not nervous because his plan, as he said himself, was to “protect the lead” and he knew that he could lose two seconds per phase, so whoever saw with a good eye yielded a little more than one.
Tänak lost another four tenths on the first run through Kemmelbergalthough he regained them from the British in the penultimate section, at Watou, where Rovanpera finished with a narrow second position.
The World Championship leader, who rejoined the rally after Friday’s accidentpressed into the final section and took the Power Stage where the rally ended, the longest stage on Sunday, popular with rally enthusiasts and for classic cycling races, with the Kemmelberg hill climb on cobblestones.
Tanäk, unwilling to take any chances, was fourth in the final setwhere he lost 2.2 seconds with respect to Evans -second in that section-, and won the rally.
Evans finished in second position five seconds behind the winner and the Finnish Esapekka Lappi Toyota, completed the podium, which was 1:41.
The Swedish Oliver Solberg (Hyundai), son of the world champion Petter Solberg, combined his fourth position, his best final result, 3:28 behind Tänak, and the Japanese Takamoto Katsuda (Toyota) was fifth, while Frenchman Stéphane Lefebvre (Citroen ) won WRC2.
On September 8, the world championship will continue at the Acropolis Rally of Greece.
Overall ranking
1. Kalle Rovanpera (FIN/Toyota) 203 points
2. Ott Tanak (EST/Hyundai) 131
3. Elfyn Evans (GBR/Toyota) 116
4. Thierry Neuville (BEL/Hyundai) 106
Source: La Verdad
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
