2019 World Rally Champion, Ott Tanak was the fastest in the New Zealand Rally on Thursday, September 28, 2022, with the overall championship leader Kalle Rovanpera settling for sixth.
Rovanpera turns 22 on Saturday and might just be the youngest winner of the drivers’ championship if he becomes the winner on Sunday. This means that if he is able to garner eight points more than Tanak, he will take the crown home.
He starts the event 53 points ahead of the Estonian and could claim the title with the Spanish and Japanese rallies still to come.
Tanak finished at one minute and 45.8 seconds. He stated that it was a bad run-through for him as his head was spinning and he did not know where the road was going.
“My head was spinning and I had no idea where the road was going, it was not so fun,” said Tanak after the 1.4-kilometre-long (0.87-mile) stage, which demanded quality from drivers.’
He is however hopeful that he will do a good job on the weekend.
Rovanpera finished 2.6 seconds back in the first of the weekend’s 17 stages, with 2021 overall champion Sebastien Ogier eighth.