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Ott Tanak has wasted no time in switching his attention to the next two rounds of the FIA World Rally Championship following a troubled three-days at Safari Rally Kenya with the M-Sport Ford team.
Tanak’s hopes of equalling the pace of the victorious Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 were stymied by a series of problems with his Puma Rally1 that included punctures and a leaking rear damper. He also ran out of washer fluid on the Saturday and had a close shave with the Kenyan wildlife on the opening leg.
Sixth overall at the finish, the only highlight for the Estonian and team-mate Martin Jarveoja was four bonus points from the rally-ending Power Stage courtesy of clearing it in the second quickest time.
It means he has slipped from third in the drivers’ standings on eighty-five points to sixth on ninety-seven – the same total as Safari Rally winner Sebastien Ogier – but only five shy of second-placed Thierry Neuville whose title aspirations also took a hit due to suspension failure on Friday’s penultimate stage.
“Altogether, a great safari with a lot of passionate fans a people who clearly love rally,” said Tanak, who continues to push M-Sport and Ford Performance hard for upgrades. “So far, it has been a bit tricky this year, so we need to find a bit of speed for the next rally as it is all about the speed now.”
But even with on-going improvements to the Puma Rally1, and pre-event tests planned before his home round of the FIA World Rally Championship in July – and Rally Finland the following month – Tanak admits he is still unclear about the car’s silverware potential on fast-flowing, table-top smooth gravel roads.
“I can risk everything [for the win] for sure, it’s no question,” he said, “but the other question is, what could come out of it? I have no idea because I have never driven this car on fast roads and at the moment the performance is a bit of trouble. Estonia and Finland are all about performance.
“I am sure Toyota will definitely be really dominating and then Hyundai was quite strong as well [last year]. We have a big challenge and we need to fight for but it is not going to be easy,” he added.
One of the changes that will be available for Rally Estonia is a new gravel-spec rim that it is hoped will avert the tyre issues that appear to have affected the Ford more in 2023 than Toyota and Hyundai respectively.
