He bounced back from dismal results in the previous two rallies to claim his second win of the WRC season, and the fourth of his career, with an accomplished drive on the fastest fixture in the calendar. 

Thousands of Estonian fans crossed the Baltic Sea to celebrate their country’s first Finnish success since Tänak’s mentor, Markko Märtin, triumphed in 2003.

Tänak led for virtually the entire four-day gravel road encounter on the doorstep of his Toyota Gazoo Racing team. He steered his Yaris World Rally Car across the podium in Jyväskylä with a 32.7sec advantage after almost 320km of furious action. 

After coming out on top of a fierce first leg fight with Mads Østberg, Tanak pulled clear on Saturday and eased through the final day. He kept some pace in reserve to win the rally-closing Power Stage and claim maximum bonus points. 

“It was a perfect weekend. The first day was tough but after that we increased our gap. The preparation was perfect, everything was as it needed to be,” said Tänak, whose victory rekindled his slim title hopes after a disappointing weekend for frontrunners Thierry Neuville and Sébastien Ogier.

“I will try to win every rally and let’s see where we are at the end of the year,” added the 30-year-old, who closed the gap on leader Neuville to 46 points with five rounds remaining.

The championship returns to asphalt at next month’s ADAC Rallye Deutschland (16 - 19 August). 

_{Source: WRC.com}

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