Ott Tänak: “We have the inner drive to come back fighting”

Snow and ice have always been perfect for Ott Tänak, as he and his co-driver Martin Järveoja are looking to chase down a first podium of the 2022 campaign in Rally Sweden this weekend.

Driving for Hyundai Motorsport, the Estonian have record with three back-to-back podium finishes on snow over the last couple of seasons, Tänak is looking strong as they are heading to the new rally in Umeå, Sweden, having previously won the rally back in 2019 and a second place finish in 2020, and also winning the Arctic Lapland Rally which replaced the round last year – he will be the one to look out for.

The season-opener did not start in the right way he hoped for, after picking up two punctures on the Saturday afternoon leg and only bringing one spare wheel with him, he had to retire from the event.

Now with a terrain he has been successful on many times, Tänak hopes to replicate the result from previous outtings on snow and get his rhythm turned around for the season remainder: “Rally Sweden will be an all-new event as we are moving more north than we have in previous years. I really don’t know what to expect but snow is always something I’ve really enjoyed competing on. Sweden was the location of our first podium with Hyundai Motorsport, and it would mean a lot to be able to replicate that result next weekend.”

“We have the inner drive to come back fighting from our difficult first round of the season; we want to turn that into positive momentum that will carry us throughout the year ahead. Last season we were victorious in the snow in Arctic Rally Finland, so we know we are fast and competitive on this surface. The target will be to hit the ground running and find a good rhythm with the Hyundai i20 N Rally1.”

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