Ott Tänak - Future champion?

[Tarmop]

Well, 2012 is a great experience, but resulted being unemployed, 2014 was WRC2 season, most of all...2015 wasn`t perfect either, developing DMacks in 2016 gave him a chance to get a podium / victory on some events, not more, in 2017 he didn`t have a chance to think about it even, being nr. 2 to Ogier...Toyota failed him many times in 2018...

[Kielder]

A tribute: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_c...&v=FsYGbnPpJ1Q

[AnttiL]

He missed 2013 and drove all but three events in 14 (though since many were with Dmack do they count?). Even assuming 2015 as his first full year that's four years to the championship.

That does not detract from his accomplishment at all. If anything it shows how persistence at the WRC level can pay off. Particularly these days where most champions have been good right out of the box. Richard Burns is probably the last campaigner before Tanak to get a title.

Compared to other champions:
Ogier 2009 start 2013 championship (four years, including s2000 in 2012 which can't be better than running with Dmack)
Loeb 2003 start, 2004 championship (one year)
Solberg 2000 start (though he missed four events that year) 2003 championship (three years)
Burns 1997 start (missing five events that year), 2001 championship (four years if you count 97 as a full season)
Gronholm 2000 start, championship 2000
Makinen 1995 start, 1996 championship (one year)
McRae 1992 start, 1995 championship (three years and that's missing some events in 92)
Auriol 1990 start, 1994 championship (four years; from 90-93 he missed at least three events each year)
Sainz 1989 start , 1990 championship (one year)
Biasaion 1986 start, 1988 championship (two years. Even when champion he was missing as many as four events per year)
Kankkunen 1986 start, 1986 championship

It starts to get muddier farther back as drivers like Salonen had been doing some events regularly but not full seasons. Likewise Blomqvist had been doing Sweden/Finland/RAC since the early 70s but didn't run anything resembling a WRC season until 83 and he won the next year.

Mäkinen had a full factory season with Nissan in 1992 but the factory quit, thus his 1993 and 1994 were half seasons. Kankkunen was also with Toyota works team for three years before going to Peugeot, but the seasons consisted of few WRC events.

Auriol started already with full season in 1989 with Lancia and had driven with Ford the year before.

In every year before 1994 the regulations stated that you counted the best eight rallies to your result (like in WRC2). Thus Biasion et al did a "full season" by just doing eight rallies. Nobody did actual full seasons in that time. The closest must be Sainz in 1990 and Alen in 1986, all but Ivory Coast.

And Tänak, we could say he did full seasons of 2012 and 2015-2019, in total six, before becoming a champion. Probably longer than most champions, but in the double Seb era many drivers never became champions at all.

[ceemic]

Maybe we should then count rallies, not seasons?

[Legendaarne]

Could be a more adequate way of determining rally drivers skills and accomplishments. 😃

[EstWRC]

marca.com interview out now, nothing new acutally https://translate.google.ee/translat...7278b457b.html


Q. What has been the most important season of your career?

A. I think I started to really evolve from then on. The 2016 season, again with DMACK, but already at WRC, was, perhaps, the toughest I've ever done, but, at the same time, I'm sure that made me stronger and gave me an extra experience in that regard . I had to face difficult conditions, knowing most of the time that I would not be able to fight to win. It was very important for me to run as Ogier's partner the following year. We spend a lot of time together, I think we form a very solid team between the two. I learned a lot from him, I understood how certain aspects of our work should be carried out, and we also built a good friendship that we still have.


glad that im not the only who thinks the Dmack year was as important as 2017. Like he says, he knew most of the time he cant compete with those tryes and IMO it teached him to be patient and mind his own business.

[AnttiL]

I also liked the part where the Spanish interviewer asks innocently Tänak's opinion of Sordo, and Tänak says they could be teammates some day

[Oraamat]

glad that im not the only who thinks the Dmack year was as important as 2017. Like he says, he knew most of the time he cant compete with those tryes and IMO it teached him to be patient and mind his own business.

Yea, ive also allways been thinking that DMACK year was a breakthrough in his career. He was able to drive pressurefree, with his own pace and I guess Dmack tyres teached him alot about stability and consistensy. And nobody really didnt expected something from him other than feedback to develop tyres. 2015 there were quite alot driving mistakes and and not so good year. With DMACK year in the middle, the 2017 he was quite strong already with decent pace and very few driving mistakes, so in my personal opinion DMACK year was very important.

[sinepikohv]

I think it was Malcolm who said that 2017 was a turning point for Ott. The reason? Martin Järveoja. All of Ott's WRC wins have come with Martin.

[meh]

I think it was Malcolm who said that 2017 was a turning point for Ott. The reason? Martin Järveoja. All of Ott's WRC wins have come with Martin.

I don't think it's only one-and-only key parameter there.

"Turning point" includes at least:
- Analyze and experience from previous (mistakes)
- Match with Martin
- Being (important) part of development of new car - clear understanding why and how something works
- Ogier as team-mate