Tänak wins easily in the Arctic as Rovanperä grabs early title lead
Published 1 month ago
Ott Tänak sealed a dominant start-to-finish victory at Arctic Rally Finland Powered by CapitalBox on Sunday afternoon.
The Estonian was never seriously challenged during the three-day encounter in Lapland’s frozen forests. He built a comfortable lead during the first two legs and eased through the finale to win the FIA World Rally Championship’s second round by 17.5sec.
Home hero Kalle Rovanperä fended off a charging Thierry Neuville to claim the best result of his career in second. At just 20 years old, he became the youngest driver to lead the WRC in the championship’s 49-year history. Neuville finished 2.3sec adrift in third.
Waterford, Ireland / WLR
Feb 27, 2021 3:17 PM
Craig Breen (IRL) and Paul Nagle (IRL) of team Hyundai Shell Mobis WRTare seen racing during the World Rally Championship Finland in Rovaniemi, Finland on 26,February
Ott Tänak threw down the gauntlet in Lapland’s frozen forests by winning the opening two speed tests to build a dominant lead at Arctic Rally Finland Powered by CapitalBox on Friday night.
The Estonian was the class of the field in the first of three days of Arctic action. He was fastest in the first 31.05km Sarriojärvi test by 3.6sec before crushing his rivals by almost 10sec in the repeat run in darkness.
Breen returns to WRC action in Finland this weekend wlrfm.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from wlrfm.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Preview – Arctic Rally Finland
The FIA World Rally Championship journeys to the Arctic Circle for the first time this week boosted by one of the strongest frontline entries in recent years.
Never in its 49-year history has the series ventured as far north and Arctic Rally Finland Powered by CapitalBox (26 - 28 February) has 13 World Rally Cars ready for battle in Lapland’s winter wonderland.
This second round is the year’s only pure winter fixture. Paradoxically, the frozen forests around Rovaniemi will see top speeds exceeding 200kph as Pirelli’s studded tyres dig into thick ice covering gravel roads to provide amazing grip.
WRC stars set for final Finland warm-up in Estonia
Ott Tänak and Thierry Neuville will complete a final dress rehearsal for the FIA World Rally Championship’s only pure winter round at Saturday’s Otepää Talveralli in Estonia.
The Hyundai Motorsport pair completed a day’s running each in Lapland last week, fine-tuning the set-up of their i20 WRC ahead of Arctic Rally Finland Powered by CapitalBox (26 - 28 February). On Saturday they get an additional day’s driving at the Estonian Championship event.
The one-day competition, based close to the special stages used on last year’s inaugural WRC-counting Rally Estonia, features four stages run twice – two in the morning and two in the afternoon. They add up to 84km of competition.