Ott Tänak remains in a close fight for victory at Rally Poland. Despite adopting a morning set-up too soft for the drying conditions, it didn’t stop Tänak mounting a charge. Not even an off-road excursion through the first pass of Pozezdrze (SS12) could prevent him from taking the stage win as well as the lead of the rally.
As the fight continued, Thierry Neuville sneaked ahead but an eventful second pass of Pozezdrze (SS16) would see Tänak back in control. With Jari-Matti Latvala stopped on stage and Neuville suffering a puncture, the lead was in Estonian hands but not without drama – Tänak completing without his rear spoiler.
Having to contest the final three stages with no rear downforce, the Estonian delivered a fearless drive to limit the time loss but had to hand the lead back to a resurgent Neuville.
“It’s been an interesting day with a lot of things happening so it’s good to still be in a close battle at the top”, Ott Tänak said
“We lost the rear wing this afternoon and that made things really tough. There’s so much aero on these new cars and they make a really big difference – so when you lose the biggest part I can tell you that it is not easy!”
“We tried the best we could and made some setup changes to make it more comfortable to drive. It was still extremely difficult, but Thierry also had a problem and the battle is still on.”
“We need to keep fighting as he has also been very strong this weekend. We’re still in the fight and it looks as though we’re in for a really exciting day tomorrow – with the weather making it interesting as well.”
When @Becsywecsy asks if we want to say anything to our fans… ? #WRC #RallyPoland #EstonianFans #BestFans pic.twitter.com/nZODetuSzC
— Ott Tänak (@OttTanak) July 1, 2017
Team Principal Malcolm Wilson added:
“It’s been some day out there – and I can’t remember the last time all three of the rally-leading drivers had issues on the same stage!”
“For us, Ott lost the rear wing which made things extremely difficult over the closing stages. But he kept it together and the fight is still very much on for tomorrow. With just 3.1 seconds between first and second, it’s all to play for and the weather has the potential to make it an extremely exciting and interesting final day. And one thing is for sure – Ott is not likely to give up without a fight!”
“Sebastien Ogier had a really difficult morning. With two punctures and only one spare, he had to manage the situation and fell further adrift of the leading pack. But as I’ve always said, you can never write him off. He’s kept his head down and now finds himself in fourth place which would be a fantastic result considering everything he had to contend with this weekend.”
If anyone comes across @OttTanak‘s rear wing, the team would be extremely grateful if you could return it to us in the service park. Thanks! pic.twitter.com/j09osSit8x
— M-Sport (@MSportLtd) July 1, 2017
