Ott Tänak: “We head to Belgium on the back of our Finland victory”

Ott Tänak says the win in Rally Finland last time out is cetainly a good morale boost for the Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team after struggeling a lot this season with the Hyundai i20 N Rally1 car and now the Estonian is looking forward to head to Ypres Rally in Belgium this weekend after moving up to second in the championship leaderboard.

Tänak is explaining the Belgian tarmac rally is quite challenging and demanding as the drivers need to have a lot of confidence in the cars on the narrow roads. Tänak had not the greatest rally last season when he struggeled with setup of the Hyundai i20 WRC car, he ended the rally in sixth place with over 3 minutes down on the event winner and Hyundai teammate Thierry Neuville.

“We head to Belgium on the back of our Finland victory, which was certainly a good morale boost for the team. Ypres is a unique tarmac rally, one that looks quite simple on paper – lots of straights and junctions, and not so many types of corners.”

“In reality, it is actually quite tricky because the junctions and cuts are different and it can be very demanding, especially if the weather is mixed. You need a lot of confidence in the cuts and a stable car. Power will also be really important with acceleration from slow speed. We’ll try to keep the momentum from Finland, even if it’s a very different type of rally.”

Thierry Neuville: “We will need to make sure everything is on point if we are going to be competitive“

Credit: Hyundai Motorsport GmbH

Teammate Neuville however hasn´t had the greatest season so far this year after having a lot of issues with the car over the past couple of rallies and had a dissapointing rally in Finland last time out.

But the home rally in Belgium do bring good memories for him as he won there last year and Neuville says its the rally he is looking forward to the most in the calendar. He is also keen to get back out on a tarmac rally again because the pace has been better there compared to the gravel rallies.

Neuville do hope to repeat the victory from last year but with a new era of Rally1 hybrid cars that are quite even matched and strong names coming to the rally, it will not be the easiest task.

“Ypres Rally Belgium, our home rally, is probably the event that we’re looking forward to the most in the season. I’ve got good memories from last year, and in fact previous visits when the event was part of the IRC. I can’t wait to get back.”

“We’re finally heading to tarmac again after a run of tricky gravel rallies. We hope to return to winning ways in front of the local spectators, fans, supporters, and family members; we’ll certainly be motivated and ready to do our best. There is only one goal: to repeat our victory from last year. It won’t be easy, as the competition is so tough. We will need to make sure everything is on point if we are going to be competitive.”

Oliver Solberg: “The disappointment from Rally Finland was huge, so I am determined to bounce back from that quickly.”

Credit: Hyundai Motorsport GmbH

For Oliver Solberg the season have been having a lot of up and downs, mostly downs as the son of the 2003 WRC champion Petter Solberg never got the break through yet. The youngster have retired from a total of six out of eight rallies so far this year but Rally Finland last time out was really disappointing.

Solberg crashed out quite early in the rally after missjudging a corner just a couple of metres in to the Friday opening-stage, both Solberg and his co-driver Elliott Edmondson escaped unharmed but the car couldn´t be fixed and due to a bent rollcage, the chassis was written off as well.

For Ypres Rally this weekend Solberg is determined to bounce back and doesn´t want anymore surprises.

“The disappointment from Rally Finland was huge, so I am determined to bounce back from that quickly. It was, at the same time, great to see all the smiles and celebrations after the team’s victory. The girls and guys in Alzenau are working so hard for this.”

“Ypres is next and it’s a very specific event on the calendar, lots of cuts and mud make it one of the trickiest tarmac events. I have great memories from last year when I was leading WRC2. Of course, this year, I will be in the Rally1 car which will be a new challenge, but I will try to go fast. You need a precise car to suit the narrow roads, and an easy car to drive with all the cuts. Most importantly, we don’t want any surprises.”