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Craig Breen snatches the lead in dramatic finale in Finland

Ireland's Craig Breen has grabbed the lead at the Secto Automotive Rally Finland from team-mate O...
Will O'Callaghan
Will O'Callaghan

21.44 1 Oct 2021


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Craig Breen snatches the lead...

Craig Breen snatches the lead in dramatic finale in Finland

Will O'Callaghan
Will O'Callaghan

21.44 1 Oct 2021


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Ireland's Craig Breen has grabbed the lead at the Secto Automotive Rally Finland from team-mate Ott Tanak at the end of day one.

In his Hyundai i20, Breen overturned a 1.5sec deficit to lead Tänak by 2.8sec after the night finish. Just 7.9sec blanketed the top five after a frantic Friday with Elfyn Evans, Esapekka Lappi, and Kalle Rovanperä hot on their heels.

“It's been an amazing day and I really enjoyed every second,” said Breen. “I always wondered how it would feel in the dark and it definitely lived up to expectations. I think everyone is going to try and find a little extra something tomorrow. We’ll try, we’ll not let it slip by that easily.”

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Tanak, who is bidding for his third straight Rally Finland victory, was surprised to be in the fight for victory against a Toyota Gazoo Racing squad, which is based near Jyväskylä and is unbeaten on the rally since 2017.

“We never expected to be in a battle with Toyota,” he admitted. “I had quite a bad pre-event test so we made quite a lot of changes and it seems to be working in parts. But today was just an introduction because tomorrow is a big day.”


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