Ott Tanak denied world champion Kalle Rovanpera a winning start in front of tens of thousands of his home fans as the Rally of Finland got underway on Thursday.
M-Sport Ford driver Tanak claimed the opening stage on the roads of Jyvaskyla to put the Estonian atop the early standings for this ninth round of the season.
Tanak has a point to prove as he was denied a shot at victory in his local rally last time out in Estonia after incurring a five-minute penalty for a change of engine.
“We will try, we will go all in,” said the 2019 world champion who is seeking a fourth win in Finland.
“Let’s see where it gets us. The ones we are fighting are very strong obviously and we need to put everything on the line,” he added.
Thierry Neuville (Hyundai) took second with Rovanpera in third.
Rovanpera, who was not helped when his car clipped a kerb, was boosted by the support along the route.
“It’s an amazing feeling. I can almost hear the people from inside of the car, I know how loud it is. It feels so amazing in the car when you know the atmosphere is so great,” he said. The rally heads into the forests today with nine stages followed by eight tomorrow and four to close on Sunday.
Rovanpera leads the world championship by 55 points from his Toyota teammate Elfyn Evans (fifth in the first stage).
Ford’s Estonian driver Ott Tanak and co-driver Martin Jarveoja drive during the shakedown of the WRC Rally Finland on Thursday. (AFP)
