The talented Estonian sportsman Ott Tänak so far has had splendid career in motorsports. He started to participate in rally at the age of 17, when he tried his strengths in 3 rounds of the Estonian Rally Championship. In 2008, Tänak gained success in his fifth season, as he won the title of the Estonian Rally Champion in the N4 group. He managed to gain identical success in 2009, which marks the turning point in the sportsman’s career, as he debuted also in the WRC, where he reached the finish of the Rally de Portugal as the 20th. At the end of that year Tänak also won the Pirelli Star Driver competition and obtained the possibility to participate in six rounds of the 2010 WRC season, where he started with the PWRC class Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X car prepared by the Ralliart Italy and gained two class victories.

The year 2011 marked another step forward as Tänak participated in seven WRC rounds with the Ford Fiesta S2000 car prepared by the Markko Märtin’s team MM-Motorsports and won three of them in the SWRC class. At the end of the season he took the 2nd place in the SWRC class behind the Finnisn driver Juho Hänninen. At the very last round of the WRC season Tänak also debuted in WRC class car. As the member of the M-Sport Stobart Ford World Rally Team Ott Tänak started with the Ford Fiesta WRC car and finished in the 6th place in the Wales Rally GB.

In 2012 Tänak as the first number in the M-Sport Ford World Rally Team spent full season with the team and started in 13 WRC rounds. This season was varied enough for the sportsman as successful starts alternated with several failures. In the Rally d'Italia Sardegna Ott Tänak managed to reach the highest point in his WRC career, i.e. 3rd place. However the 8th place in the total valuation of the season was overshadowed also by 6 retirements and in 2013 co-operation with the sportsman is not continued.

“It has been five long months since the end of the season without any driving. At the moment I'm working hard to get back into the seat, but despite long and tiring hours in my workshop while working on the N4 group Subaru Impreza car, it is still hard to go home to sleep in the late evenings as I am very excited to finish rebuilding this car in order to drive it. Even though, I will start a N4 car, though, I have not given up to return in the WRC," Tänak comments on his current situation.

So far the only Tänak’s start in the Rally Talsi was in 2009, when he in the N4 group finished as the 2nd and lost to the winner Aivis Egle 3.8 seconds. “I'm sure it won't be easy in the beginning to get used to the N4 group car, but I hope it will not take too long to adapt, and for sure I'm going to do my best,” Tänak comments the start in the Rally Talsi. “I've been once in the Rally Talsi and then lost my victory in the group because of a puncture in the very last stage, so this time I will do only better!”

We would like to remind that the Rally Talsi will be held on 18th and 19th May, and it will be the fourth round of the Latvian Rally Championship (LRC) and the rally marking the beginning of summer. The organizers promise that for spectators Saturday, the 18th May, will be especially interesting, as it will be possible to see all six stages, including the special city stage — the participants will have to cover it twice. At the end of the first rally day an evening concert is envisaged in the Talsi City centre, where it will be possible to see Normunds Jakušonoks and the Band “Tipa orķestris” with their new concert programme. The second rally day — Sunday — will start at 10.00, when the start of the first stage will be given, and the Rally will be concluded with the Awarding Ceremony by the Talsi Culture Centre at 17.30.

Jānis Unbedahts, Press Secretary RA Motosport. Foto: Timo Anis