The return of the WRC Rally

The local crowd is particularly looking forward to this WRC round. Not because it is the most important sporting event of the year in the country. It's because the local favourite, Estonian Ott Tänak, can bring back the championship intrigue.

The Estonian stage is considered one of the fastest on the World Cup calendar. And this year the organizers have not deviated from tradition and have virtually repeated last year's route. The only major change will be on the last (Sunday) day of the competition. The Estonian stage consists of long straight stretches and several more difficult sections that usually follow each other. The wide local roads are relatively easy compared to, for example, the roads in Sardinia and Portugal. Therefore, it's not the road and weather conditions that will play a bigger role here, but the skills of the drivers and the capabilities of the car.

Most of the competitors would like to forget the previous, seventh stage, the Safari Rally, like a bad dream. After all, only the Toyota team was able to pass the test on the gravel roads of Kenya. The other competitors found themselves outside the top four in the African race. So, it is quite predictable that both Hyundai and the M-Sport Ford will be looking for revenge. Or at least be more competitive. As was the case on the stages in Sweden and Croatia. In addition, the series' fastest driver and Toyota's representative, eight-time World Champion Frenchman Sébastien Ogier, will miss the race in Estonia.

Reigning champion Kalle Rävänpera is confidently leading the WRC-2023 season. But the position of the talented 22-year-old Finn is not unassailable. His main trump card is stability: he fights rationally and only forces events where he is sure of success. His main rival in Estonia will be someone willing to take risks to win. Ott Tänak is the most successful rider on Estonian stages. The local hero has won here four times – in 2014, 2018, 2019 and 2020. Last year he finished third and in 2020 he was the author of an unpleasant sensation: Ott went off the track and punctured two tyres at the same time, having retired from the race.

Who else will be fighting for the top spot at the Baltic Rally? One of the contenders not only for a top-three finish but also for the stage lead is, of course, the Finn Esapekka Lappi. This year he has shown very good speed in European rallies. For example, in Croatia and Portugal the Hyundai representative finished third and in the Italian rally the Finn finished second. Lappi could have fought for higher places in Kenya as well. But he lacked the stability to stay in the lead. Though overall the Finn's pace is very good. Moreover, the Estonian race is a good chance for Lappi to intervene in the fight for prize money in the overall standings.

Thierry Neuville and Elfyn Evans are other riders who could be in contention in Estonia. The Belgian already has a stage win to his name in Italy. And the Welshman finished on the podium at the rally in Croatia. With the exception of the race in Kenya, Evans has always finished in the top five: twice third, twice fourth and once fifth. Elfin is second in the overall standings, 41 points behind current champion Rovanperä. The Baltic race is therefore a chance to increase his chances of fighting for the championship, at least mathematically.

In general, a series of European stages – Estonia, Finland, Greece – could seriously reshape the ranking for the 2023 World Championship. The teams and drivers are likely to use the month’s break for more than just rest. In the next stages, we can also see the possibility of a resumption of the championship intrigue with Rovanperä, and a chance for Hyundai Motorsport to intensify the fight with Toyota Racing in the Manufacturers Cup. In other words, the second part of the WRC season promises to be interesting. And the fast gravel track in Estonia is just the first round.