Ott Tänak and Martin Järveoja start the second day of Rally Portugal as leaders in the standings. Having built their speed throughout the first day of contention, the Estonians are in an epic battle for the win.
The 29-year-old picked up some damage to the wishbone in SS6 and had to nurse his Ford Fiesta WRC as best he could though the final speed tests. He remained focused and actually extended his lead.
Ott Tänak: We just need to keep pushing and keep smart
When others were caught out by the tricky conditions, Ott Tänak combined speed and intelligence with his customary dose of determination to take a 4.6 second advantage into Saturday’s second day of competition.
“It’s great to be in the lead of the rally. The plan always was to get a good start position and it looks as though we’ve made a good job of that”, Ott said.
“We struggled a bit this afternoon with some damage to the wishbone on the middle stage [SS6]. We had to make some repairs, so I’m happy to see that it stayed together and we made it back to service still in the lead.”
“Competition is really tight and everyone is going at pretty much the same pace. It’s really good to see that the competition is so strong. We just need to keep pushing and keep smart.”
Estonian flag flying high at the end of day press conference @rallydeportugal ???? #WRC #Delfi pic.twitter.com/spvCKu6dSL
— Ott Tänak (@OttTanak) May 19, 2017
Team Principal Malcolm Wilson once again pointed out that “this is an incredible era for WRC”
Friday’s “action just goes to prove that”, he continued. The competition is so close. It’s fantastic for the fans, but I can tell you that it’s pretty nerve-wracking for us watching the times come in!”
“Ott has the perfect road position for Saturday and there is no question that he has the ability to challenge for the win. We saw last year what he is capable of and he’s had some really strong performances so far this year too.”
“Having said that, we’ve seen how many times the lead has changed. Anything can happen, but all of our cars are in great shape and I have no doubt that they’ll all give it their best.”
“Sébastien [Ogier] too has done a fantastic job from first on the road. To be in third and so close to the lead at the end of the day, I personally think that this has been his best day of rallying since he joined the team.”
Elfyn Evans (6th) had a mixed day, combining a series of second fastest times with more arduous moments – namely struggling with inconsistent grip levels and picking up a rear-right puncture through the first pass of Ponte de Lima (SS4).
“It’s been an okay day to be fair. It is what it is, and we’ll keep fighting. It’s good that everyone is so close, and I think everyone will be going hard tomorrow so we need to do our best”, Elfyn Evans said.
