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WRC STAR TANAK TAKES A BIG-
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FILM REVIEW
OTT TANAK:
THE MOVIEThe star of Ott Tanak- The Movie? Simple.
His grandma. No contest.
The very concept of
a fly-on-the-wall-style
documentary about
Tanak caused much mirth
in the Autosport office. The Estonian is, after all,
famous for his lack of tolerance of the media.
“I haven’t been the easiest guy to work with,”
says Tanak with a wry smile. “They told me
what they wanted to do and I didn’t want to
do it. I did it because Markko [Martin, fellow
Estonian world rally winner, early mentor and
now very good mate] said it would be a good idea.”
Martin laughs at the memory. “It’s true,” he said.
Would you have done it? “No... but it was good
for him.” And very, very good for Palmi Leppik.
Leppik is Tanak’s grandma. Despite the success
her grandson has achieved, Leppik – like the
rest of the family – remains entirely grounded,
living on the same Estonian island of Saaremaa
where Tanak was born and raised.
It’s to her house that we’re transported during
Rally Turkey, the first half of which was far from
Tanak’s finest hour last season. Grandma Leppik
is sitting at her table staring intently at an iPad,
which sits in a modified shoebox, utterly practical
and beautifully un-Apple. She’s bothered by her
grandson’s lack of speed. But her concern goes
deeper than just the results.
“He seems to drive cautiously,” she offers. “He’s
not among the leaders. Mikkelsen was the only one
who picked soft tyres. Everyone else opted for hard
tyres. And now it seems Mikkelsen is in the lead.”
There was a brief moment when the 200-odd
friends, family and media – but sadly not Leppik
herself; she’d seen the movie the night before and
decided the spotlight of this screening wasn’t for
her – took in Tanak’s grandma’s insight.
“Mikkelsen was the only one who picked
soft tyres.” Brilliant. She brought the house
down without even trying.
Film company Sterotek took a punt on Tanak’s
2018 being the one. Following 13 World Rally
Championship rounds with a full crew doesn’t
come cheap but, as Tanak’s season came good
in the second half, it looked like company owner
Eero Nogene’s decision was increasingly inspired.
Had Tanak won the title, it would have been the
perfect record for thousands of Estonian rally fans.
That he didn’t – and the manner in which he
didn’t – delivered the sort of drama Nogene,
director Tarvo Molder and film writer Kaidi Klein
could only dream of. The elation of victory; the
bitterness of the Sweet Lamb, Rally GB retirement;
the squabble that followed a Spanish puncture; and,
ultimately, the end of the road in Coffs Harbour,
Rally Australia are all portrayed perfectly.
The film, like Tanak’s season and career, is a
rollercoaster. What’s perhaps the most impressive
aspect is the way the bigger, year-on-year picture
is sewn into a round-by-round analysis of 2018.
Molder’s ability as a director is exquisite. For
example, when we discover the true motivation
for Tanak’s career. “Our teacher tried to motivate