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Expert Opinion: WRC Rally Estonia set for Tanak versus Rovanpera duel
World Rally Championship drivers will tackle some of the fastest roads on the calendar in Estonia this week with the title race finely poised.
Hyundai’s Ott Tanak heads into his home round of the championship with the momentum after ending Toyota’s 100% winning start to the season in Greece last month. Two second place finishes and a win from the last three rallies has lifted the Estonian firmly in the title hunt, just 12 points behind Toyota’s Elfyn Evans.
Two-time world champion Kalle Rovanpera is looming behind Tanak, albeit 33 points adrift, despite struggles gelling with the Hankook tyres on gravel this year. But Estonia is the Finn’s favourite rally on the calendar and has previously dominated the fast gravel stages.
Meanwhile, reigning world champion Thierry Neuville is desperate to kickstart his title defence, piloting a Hyundai that has undergone development to improve its pace on Estonia’s smooth gravel roads.
The scene is therefore set for a fascinating 20-stage contest. To get a read of the form book, DAZN News spoke to legendary WRC television commentator Becs Williams for an expert opinion.
Is home hero Ott Tanak the favourite to win in Estonia?
Hyundai Motorsport
“Ott Tanak’s win in Acropolis Rally Greece last month is certainly going to be a boost in confidence, but he has been on form for many events, and now and he will come up against a ruthless rival here in Estonia in Kalle Rovanpera. What we have witnessed in the past few events has been Tanak versus Ogier and it is now going to be Tanak versus Rovanpera. I can’t see anyone being to muscle in on those two. Rovanpera has dominated this event when it has been a WRC round, with Tanak only winning one WRC edition, but Tanak has won this event previously when it has been run outside of the WRC, so they both have good records here.
“I don’t know if Tanak is the favourite but he is the driver in form and Rovanpera on gravel at the moment isn’t. Tanak is not the outright favourite but he nudges a little bit ahead of Rovanpera. The momentum is with Tanak now.”
Can Rovanpera return to form on gravel?
Toyota Gazoo Racing
“It is very hard to see Kalle Rovanpera struggle on gravel this year and not be the Rovanpera that we know, and with the weight of Toyota behind him and the brainwork of the engineers, the fact they haven’t got it to work on gravel at this point of the season, you would think that it is something more than just the tyres. Rovanpera has publicly said that this is his favourite event and that is big given Rally Finland is the Mecca of rallying.
“This event we will see where Rovanpera is as this is where he feels most comfortable, as these are roads he competed on when he was very young. It is where he got his first WRC win in 2021 and it holds a lot of fantastic memories for him. It is an event where he has dominated. This week will prove if he is back in Rovanpera style or not.”
Neuville needs strong result to ignite title defence
Hyundai Motorsport
“World champion Thierry Neuville is the first to put his hands up to say that the fast stuff has never been what he likes as the Hyundai team has never been strong there. We have got to the point in the season where Hyundai, thank goodness have taken a win and they need to keep up that momentum.
“For Neuville’s team-mate Ott Tanak, the championship is swinging in his direction and if it goes well this weekend he could take the championship lead. Thierry really needs a strong result if he wants to still be within the fight to defend this title.
“It will be a better chance for championship leader Elfyn Evans, he still has to sweep the roads but one thing that could go his way is the weather. We have had a lot of heavy rain here in the past few days. It will start to dry out but there could be showers over the weekend. This is one factor that could help but the conditions for the first car on the road are not as cruel as they were in Greece and Sardinia, which have really hampered him in trying to get big points. He did extremely well in Greece to walk away with a strong haul of points.
“For Elfyn he is so mentally strong and what I have liked about him this year is he has not moaned about being first on the road and has just accepted it as this is what happens when you lead the championship. He has not called out for a change in regulations which historically we have seen.”
Time for Munster to step up another level for M-Sport-Ford
M-Sport-Ford
“In terms of the M-Sport drivers in Martins Sesks, Gregoire Munster and Josh McErlean they have been very close in the last rallies.
“I think we need to see something from Gregoire Munster now at the mid point of the season as the lead driver in the M-Sport-Ford team. He got a stage win in Monte Carlo but we haven’t seen anything fantastic really since that point. He does need to show something more and show that he has the most experienced out of the trio.
“This is a event more suited to Martins Sesks. He wasn’t massively strong last year when this rally was on the European Rally Championship calendar however these roads are more suited to his style. Could a podium be possible? I don’t know I think it will be difficult.”
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