Tanak hits his best to deny Rovanpera at home

In Finland they uphold the virtues of‘Sisu’, which roughly translates to‘bravery’, ‘tenacity’, and ‘resilience’. And that is exactly what Ott Tanak displayed to pull off a stunning against-theodds-victory at Rally Finland.

Bookmakers would have offered long odds on Hyundai causing a stir on the roads located in the Toyota World Rally Championship team’s backyard, where the formidable GR Yaris has been honed to the nth degree. Since returning to the WRC in 2017, Toyota had been undefeated at Rally Finland until the South Korean marque ended that run, leading from Thursday’s superspecial to Sunday’s powerstage.

This was supposed to be the triumphant homecoming for WRC runaway leader Kalle Rovanpera, who has bossed the championship so far with five wins from seven rallies. While the home hero did his best to deliver in front of thousands of expectant fans, it was Tanak who ultimately resisted relentless pressure from Rovanpera to claim this year’s gravel grand prix. It was a remarkable feat considering Rovanpera had comprehensively beaten Tanak and Hyundai by two minutes at July’s Rally Estonia, where Hyundai’s wild handling and lack of outright speed was laid bare for