Tänak is Triumphant in Sweden

Ott Tänak, on only his second FIA World Rally Championship outing since re-joining the team, ended M-Sport Ford's winless streak with a crucial victory at Rally Sweden.

- Kurt Morris

AFTER ROUND TWO OF 13 RACES, THE Estonian took the series lead by three points after finishing 18.7 seconds, ahead of the Hyundai i20 N driver, Craig Breen, to win his second Sweden victory. Tänak had competed for M-Sport from 2011 to 2017, then for Toyota and Hyundai for a number of seasons. He resigned with the British team at the beginning of this campaign and this victory marks the group's first win since the Rallye MonteCarlo of last year, which took place 385 days ago.

Part-time driver Breen took the lead for the first half of the snow and ice race but Puma-driving Tänak was always in pursuit. On the penultimate day, the Estonian outran his competitor with a night-time surge and never looked back.