Belgium’s Thierry Neuville yesterday won his first world title at the age of 36 after championship rival Ott Tanak crashed out at the season-ending Rally Japan.
Tanak went off the road near the end of the opening stage of the final day, meaning he could not catch championship leader Neuville in the overall standings.
Neuville went into the rally with a 25-point lead over his Estonian Hyundai teammate Tanak, the 2019 world champion.
Photo: AFP
“Honestly, it came like a surprise,” said Neuville, who has finished world championship runner-up five times in his career. “I don’t know what to say at the moment, but I think we deserve it. Very challenging year, very tough.”
Tanak was leading the rally when he slid off the narrow forest road early in the morning in Japan’s central Aichi Prefecture.
He sat stunned alongside codriver Martin Jarveoja before unbuckling his seatbelt and getting out of the car, which was unable to move.
Tanak and Jarveoja were unhurt.
“Caught us by surprise, quite a lot of dirt and understeer and we went off the road. Nothing good,” Tanak said.
Neuville’s codriver Martijn Wydaeghe saw the news on his phone and hugged his driver.
The Belgian began the day in seventh place, but on course to win the world title after recovering from a disastrous start at the season-ending event.
Tanak, who began the day leading the rally 38 seconds ahead of second-place Elfyn Evans of Britain, needed everything to go his way to snatch the silverware.
Evans went on to claim first place for his first rally win of the season.
Neuville finished in sixth place and said he was “feeling great.”
“I don’t have the words, but I want to thank everybody who was part of it, who fought for us and all the team as well,” said the bespectacled Belgian, who became Hyundai’s first world champion driver. “We were many times very close, we always give it all, but this year we have been rewarded for it.”
Neuville was unable to claim a double triumph, after Toyota pipped Hyundai to the manufacturers’ title.
Hyundai went into the final weekend with a 15-point lead in the overall standings, but Tanak’s crash let Toyota back into contention.
The battle went down to the final power stage, where Toyota retained their title by a three-point margin.
“It wasn’t looking so good at one point but very happy with the result, very happy for the team,” said Toyota’s Evans, who secured the title for his team on the final run. “Little bit of pressure for sure, but that’s the name of the game.”
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