Ott Tänak: “A special victory”

Second in Rally Monte-Carlo and second on the Corsican asphalt, Ott Tänak had not yet shone on earth since his arrival within the Toyota Gazoo Racing. The only outing on this surface in Mexico ended in a complicated ordeal for the former resident of M-Sport, with a final 14th place after a turbo problem at the start of the race.

Unlike 2017, the Japanese clan had suffered greatly, the Argentinian tracks were however much more favorable to Tänak and the Toyota Yaris WRC, after preparation notably carried out in Sardinia. Winner without possible dispute, the Estonian won his first victory under his new colors.

« This is a special victory, admits the winner. We never knew what was going to happen when we changed teams, but it's nice to see how quickly we're progressing.

The car was pretty close to my preferences and that’s a huge boost for a driver when you have the confidence. I can't say it was easy. I attacked very hard and I was really at the limit on Friday and Saturday.

As the gap grew, we were able to control more and more, and we were more careful on Sunday. We are in the right direction and we are getting closer to the championship. »

Tänak also allows Toyota to score its first success in 2018 after seeing the Ford Fiesta from Sébastien Ogier and Hyundai i20 Thierry Neuville win the first four events of the season.

Discover the full report and analysis of the Rally Argentina, produced by our special correspondent in Villa Carlos Paz, in issue 2163 of AUTOhebdo, available this evening in digital version and this Thursday on newsstands.