The fast Estonian gravel once again showed that experience is the main factor on this surface. The Andreas Mikkelsen/Torstein Eriksen crew managed to hold on to first place throughout the rally despite the variable conditions and Saturday's puncture.
The Norwegians entered the last stage with a 10.6 second lead and the expectation of a high pace. Over the course of Sunday's five stages, the lead over the second-placed Finns shrunk to 3.5 seconds and the last 15.95km Powerstage promised real drama. At the finish Andreas Mikkelsen described the difficulty of the last timed test. "I tried to go as fast as I could, but there was a lot of water in the lines and there was aquaplaning. It was tough, but we gave it everything." The time matched the Norwegians' deployment as the Andreas Mikkelsen/Torstein Eriksen crew won the Powerstage by 22.1 seconds to secure the overall rally victory. Andreas Mikkelsen returned to the top of the overall WRC2 classification with a three-point lead.
Wondering how Rally Estonia was from Andreas Mikkelsen's point of view? Check out his vlog "MyLife", which reveals the behind-the-scenes action during the rally.
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Another Toksport WRT crew - Emil Lindholm/Reeta Hämäläinen - finished third overall and also won the WRC2 Junior category. If you are interested in the details of the rally, read the press release.
