Estonia notebook: a lively and public departure

The Estonian organizers never did things by halves! Even when their event only served as a promotion race for the championship, the opening festivities were already a moment not to be missed. If previously everything took place in the center of Tartu, the 2nd city of this country of 1,3 million inhabitants, it is now on the site of the Eesti Rahva, the museum of Estonia, that the starting podium (and the arrival one) is drawn up. Having obtained authorization to welcome spectators, Urmo Aava (the boss of rally) and his staff did not skimp on resources.

Beginning a little after 19:00 p.m., the show first featured three planes performing acrobatics above an ever-growing audience and under the eyes of many team members of the 49 competitors present. Traditional songs, but also more rhythmic pieces provided entertainment in front of well-stocked stands and an audience complying with the speaker's games, “We raise our hands to say hello to the whole world watching us”, “We wave when we leave here…” At the controls of an autonomous mini bus, in which people from the rally management and others from the promoter of the WRC, the organizer praised the country's merits in the field of new technologies, before a few pyrotechnic explosions triggered cries of joy and surprise.

Once the welcome speeches of Kaja Kallas, the Estonian Prime Minister and the one recorded by Jean Todt, other dances and some rhythmic songs took this ceremony beyond 20 p.m. when Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia have installed their Toyota Yaris Rally1 facing the crowd. After a few words summarizing the pleasure of finding the public around this podium (it was very small in 2020), the leading crew of the championship went to the start of the first special of this 7th round. The one everyone was waiting for, the local hero Ott Tänak showed up a few minutes later. Smiling, last year's winner also spoke before setting the 2nd fastest time on SS1 behind Kalle Rovanperä.