start ramp service park - HANDBRAKES & HAIRPINS

WRC’S YOUNG GUNS:
QUICK, QUICKER, QUICKEST
Words: Handbrakes & Hairpins
Pictures: WorldRallyPics, Citroën Racing
The sport’s “next big thing” is an all-too-familiar
phrase nowadays. We’ve all read the reports, seen
the interviews and the exciting clips on YouTube, and
maybe even bought the Fan Club t-shirts. Growing in
confi dence and skills on the world stage is a tough ask
for any sport athlete, and when one involves as much
behind-the-scenes fi nancial backing and muscling as
motorsport, driver managers and sponsors need to
even more committed to their young guns than ever
before.
At the top tier of the sport, there is always a steady
fl ow in and out of young talented drivers and co-drivers,
but only a few manage to stick around long enough to
make an impact on the sport. The reasons are as numerous
as the different nationalities competing in the World Rally
Championship, but after the most recent ADAC Rallye
Deutschland we are able to see the emergence of two drivers
who have the backing of the sport’s powerhouses behind
them. Enter to the boxing ring Mr Tanak, 25 years old and
a jockey-sized driver from Estonia. In the other corner is Mr
Neuville, 24 years old and hailing from Belgium. This makes
for an interesting comparison, a Ford versus Citroën duel of
epic proportions.
Ott Tanak (M-Sport Ford World Rally Team) this
weekend skipped to two stage wins in Germany, outpacing
Sebastien Loeb (Citroën Total World Rally Team) on his
favourite surface. The blonde driver has now claimed three