Elfyn Evans gained the World Rally Championship season finale in Japan whereas Toyota snatched the producers’ title in a Energy Stage thriller after Thierry Neuville had already been topped world champion.
Evans and co-driver Scott Martin clinched their first WRC win of the season for Toyota after Hyundai’s Ott Tanak crashed out of a cushty 38s lead on stage 17, which handed Hyundai team-mate Neuville and co-driver Martijn Wydaeghe a maiden WRC title in dramatic circumstances.
Tanak’s demise turned the producers’ title battle between Hyundai and Toyota on its head with the previous’s 11-point lead worn out. Extremely, each groups heading into the ultimate Energy Stage have been tied on factors, but it surely was Toyota that finally triumphed because of an impressed drive by Sebastien Ogier.
Evans clinched the rally win by 1m27.3s from Toyota team-mate Ogier, whereas M-Sport-Ford’s Adrien Fourmaux ended his breakout WRC season with a fifth podium in third [+1m55.6s].
Japan’s relentless and twisting asphalt levels as soon as once more delivered a demanding rally.
Up till his crash on Sunday, Tanak had been the category of the sector because the 2019 world champion did every thing he may to maintain his slim drivers’ title hopes alive by main the rally.
Tanak moved into the lead after stage two earlier than briefly dropping the benefit to final yr’s Japan winner Evans, who led Toyota’s cost after team-mates Ogier and Takamoto Katsuta picked up entrance and rear-left punctures respectively.
Ogier misplaced two minutes to alter his wheel whereas Katsuta was in a position to nurse his GR Yaris to the end, dropping solely a minute. The problems had swung the producers’ title battle in Hyundai’s route.
Tanak and Neuville held a one-two after stage three earlier than drama struck the latter in his pursuit for a maiden world title. A sudden lack of energy attributable to a turbo failure on Neuville’s i20 N swung the drivers’ title battle again in the direction of team-mate Tanak.
With solely a tyre becoming zone punctuating Friday’s stage loops, Neuville was unable to repair the problem and subsequently haemorrhaged greater than seven minutes. Neuville slumped to fifteenth and outdoors points-paying positions, with the Belgian needing six factors from the weekend to safe the title.
Tanak made his first critical transfer in stage 5, taking 14.4s out of Evans to maneuver into a cushty lead, which stood at 20.9s on the finish of stage 9 with Fourmaux third, Katsuta fourth and Ogier fifth.
Evans responded to Tanak’s spectacular tempo on Saturday morning to shut the hole to fifteen.3s after stage 12 that was cancelled earlier than Tanak or Evans may deal with the street when an unauthorised car broke via a safety checkpoint and drove onto the stage. The incident is the topic of an FIA investigation.
Struggles to show the GR Yaris halted Evans’ cost within the afternoon. This coupled with gorgeous stage instances from Tanak left Evans 38s adrift heading into Sunday’s remaining 5 levels.
Thierry Neuville, Martijn Wydaeghe, Hyundai World Rally Group Hyundai i20 N Rally1
Photograph by: Pink Bull Content material Pool
Ogier delivered robust tempo to climb to 3rd forward of Fourmaux and Katsuta, the latter lucky to outlive a half spin in stage 12 that value the native hero, who was instructed to play a group sport by Toyota. M-Sport’s Gregoire Munster confirmed spectacular tempo to sit down sixth forward of Neuville, who accomplished a surprising fightback.
The battle for the rally win and each the drivers’ and producers’ champion was turned on its head after stage 17, the place Tanak was caught out by a slippery right-hander which resulted in a dramatic crash that handed Neuville the title Evans the rally lead.
Evans held his nerve to say the win to seal the runner-up spot within the championship as Toyota snatched the producers’crown on the Energy Stage.
Hyundai’s Neuville and Mikkelsen threw every thing on the remaining stage with the latter even working extensive right into a tree but it surely wasn’t sufficient to safe the constructors championship.
Ogier gained the Energy Stage by 1.9s from Neuville with Evans third and Katsuta fourth, which was sufficient to grab the title from Hyundai.
Munster ended his first full season in Rally1 to equal a career-best fifth forward of newly-crowned world champion Neuville.
In WRC2, Nikolay Gryazin claimed a commanding third victory of 2024, but it surely was Sami Pajari, who sealed the WRC2 title after finishing a measured drive to second at school.
