Rally Deutschland: Day 2Tänak with a narrow lead for TOYOTA GAZOO Racing in Germany

Quotes:
Tommi Mäkinen (Team Principal)

“It is still very early in the rally, but it has been a good start for us. Ott has been driving really well today but it is still very close as everybody has been pushing hard. When the gaps are this close there is no room for errors, but Ott always seems to be well in control. It is also good for us to have Kris and Jari-Matti close to the podium: They seem to be driving quite relaxed and with confidence. Tomorrow is a very long day and we all know that the Baumholder stages are especially challenging. From the recce it sounds like there is more loose gravel on top of the surface than before on those stages, which will make it extra tricky.”

Ott Tänak (Driver car 8)

“It has been a good day. Everything is very tight, just as we expected: Everyone was pushing hard and it’s hard to make big differences. But it’s nice to be in this kind of fight. This morning my rhythm was not perfect from the first corner, but I managed to improve with every kilometre and the driving was getting more clean and tidy. This afternoon I think we had a very clean loop: No crazy risks but still quite close to the limit and pushing quite hard. Tomorrow will be a tough day but we need to continue the same way as we were today and still give a big push.”

Jari-Matti Latvala (Driver car 10)

“Generally, I’m happy with my day. This morning the feeling was good but I needed to work more on the braking, as I was maybe braking too late sometimes and then struggling to get a good exit. The afternoon was good, we improved the car and it was turning better. I was really happy with the performance on the second time through the Mittelmosel stage. The confidence was growing and then on the last stage I was pushing too much. But I’m looking forward to tomorrow, we have some nice stages and Panzerplatte should be interesting in the opposite direction to the last 10 years.”

Kris Meeke (Driver car 5)

“I’ve enjoyed my day. I’m happy to be three seconds from a podium position tonight. I had a decent morning, just a little overshoot here and there, and this afternoon was good in the vineyard stages. Unfortunately, on the last stage of the loop I seemed to be missing something and we lost a lot of time on both runs. There’s a long way to go, today was just the starter. Tomorrow will be a big day, especially the afternoon and Panzerplatte, as it looked exceptionally rough on the recce. We just need to keep driving to our rhythm and see how it goes.”

What's next?

The longest day of the rally, with 157.92 competitive kilometres, is split into two distinct parts. In the morning, the crews twice tackle a pair of stages on Saarland country roads, before mid-day service. In the afternoon they will take on two tests in the Baumholder military area, repeating them in the evening following an additional 15-minute service.

Key stage: Panzerplatte (SS13 & SS15, 41.17 kilometres)

Martin Järveoja (Co-driver car 8): “It’s the longest stage of the rally and the most challenging. This year we’re running it in reverse compared to the last few years. There are a lot of different surfaces, some smooth bits and some that are very rough, and a lot of rhythm changes.”