Ott Tänak-Martin Jarveoja take their first win with the M-Sport Ford World Rally Team and Ford Puma Hybrid Rally1 for 2023 after an exemplary drive and performance at Rally Sweden over the past three days.
Following the Estonian crew’s impressive victory in yesterday’s Rally Sweden, the duo of Ott Tänak-Martin Jarveoja now lead the standings in both the Drivers’ and Co-Drivers’ Championship, thanks to picking up two extra points in the dramatic , as it developed, last special route (Power Stage) of the race.
The win for the M-Sport Ford WRT team comes after a stunning performance from Ott Tänak, who fought hard for first place throughout the three-day race in Sweden, never dropping below second place in general ranking.
Taking the race lead on Friday morning, Ott Tänak showed no signs of flinching, despite the fact that he is still learning how his new car handles – and in this particular case, the tough and demanding special stages of Rally Sweden , especially on their second pass. Demonstrating his driving talent once again, he took his first stage win at the wheel of the Ford Puma Hybrid Rally1 in SS7, with the ‘suffering’ surface of the afternoon loop stages not affecting him in the least.
With the team watching the times with baited breath throughout Saturday, the two Estonians tried to close the 2.6 seconds that separated them from Craig Breen. In SS14, Ott Tänak decided to make his counter-attack, being almost 14 seconds faster than Craig Breen. But a spin towards the end of the stage delayed the Estonian M-Sport Ford WRT driver. However, his speed was enough to eventually lead the race at the end of the penultimate day.
On Sunday morning, Tänak extended his lead to 11.6 seconds, which allowed the crew to comfortably retain first place on the Power Stage and take a triumphant victory for M-Sport Ford.
In just the second race since his return to M-Sport Ford WRT, Ott Tänak’s victory is a real triumph for the team and its top driver. The Estonian’s performance proves not only his own undeniable talent, but also the capabilities of the Ford Puma Hybrid Rally1.
Ott Tänak’s teammate Pierre-Louis Loubet made impressive progress in otherwise unfamiliar terrain. Setting competitive times throughout Friday – culminating in a fantastic second fastest time in SS5 – the talented young French driver continued to ‘build’ confidence on snow and ice throughout the race. However, a technical issue on the Power Stage cost him valuable time, resulting in him finishing the race in sixth place overall, earning valuable points for himself and the M-Sport Ford WRT.
In the highly competitive WRC2 class, Robert Virves showed impressive pace in his first appearance behind the wheel of Fiesta Rally2 with M-Sport, making it a very strong start to the JWRC winner’s bid this year.
Returning to Dovenby Hall, M-Sport Ford WRT will now focus on the challenges of the next race in Mexico.
Ott Tänak said:
“It’s quite an impressive, not bad result. When we started the race, we didn’t know what to expect. During the preparation for the race we realized that we were never going to be the fastest, but we are happy that we kept our pace quite high together with the rest of the drivers.
“As a team, we made sure we didn’t perform badly in the stages and didn’t lose time anywhere – that was the key. Sweden is unique, here we only run a rally race once a year. The same applies to Mexico, and the fact that we are leading the way there is not considered a great advantage! It’s a great start to the league, maybe more than we expected. We can definitely improve a lot, and the goal is to pick up our pace.”.
Pierre-Louis Loubet, said:
“I first want to give many many congratulations to Ott, Martin and the rest of the team. It was a huge achievement for M-Sport and I’m very happy to have been a part of it.
“I think I have a lot of positives to take from this fight. Friday was a good day and for a long time we were following the pace of the first drivers. We also got a second fastest time, and considering I don’t have much experience on snow and ice, I think we can be very happy. Sometimes we didn’t have the confidence to really push the car and because of that we lost some time, but overall I’m happy. It was a challenge but we learned a lot and now we are looking forward to a different challenge in Mexico”.
Richard Millener, head of the group, said:
“This weekend was another fantastic weekend. To come here not sure what position we would take and to leave this match with the win is something really special for all of us. The pace this weekend for all the crews was similar so to get the win makes it special.
“We all knew that Ott and Martin are fast and capable of results like this, so to see it come true in just the second race of the season is even more exciting. I’m already looking forward to the next race in Mexico.
“I would like to particularly thank all the team’s sponsors, particularly Ford and Red Bull, for their support throughout the Rally1 program and ahead of the 2023 season.
“I would like, as always, to thank everyone in the team for playing their part and continuing to work at the highest level possible to ensure we are competitive. Watching them celebrate on the podium this afternoon is a real experience that money can’t buy.”.
Source: Skai
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