Zagreb, Croatia: Suspense reigned on the final day of the Croatia Rally as frontrunners Neuville, driving a Hyundai i20 N, and Welshman Evans in a Toyota GR Yaris faltered, paving the way for a surprise victory by Sebastien Ogier and his Co-Driver Vincent Landais.
After a tight battle across the asphalt stages near Zagreb, the fight for the win appeared to be between Neuville (Hyundai) and Evans (Toyota), separated by a mere 2.6 seconds heading into Sunday’s second stage.
Disaster struck for Neuville when a late pace note left him too fast for a corner. He went wide, hit a bank and then a tree, damaging his car and costing him crucial time. Unaware of Neuville’s mishap, Evans also made a mistake on the same stage, dropping valuable seconds with a spin.
These errors propelled Ogier, who had consistently held third place, into the lead with a comfortable advantage for the remaining stages. Unlike his rivals, Ogier kept a clean run, securing his second Croatia Rally win by 9.7 seconds and achieving a remarkable 100th WRC podium finish.
Despite the setback, Neuville managed to salvage third place, holding onto his lead in the drivers’ championship by six points ahead of Evans. The podium finish also helped Hyundai secure second place in the manufacturers’ standings.
Other notable moments included Ott Tänak’s recovery from a high-speed scare and M-Sport Ford’s Adrien Fourmaux dropping down the order due to steering damage. Takamoto Katsuta capitalized on Fourmaux’s misfortune, claiming fifth place and the maximum points for Super Sunday.
The WRC season now shifts to gravel roads for Vodafone Rally de Portugal, taking place from May 9th to 12th.
WRC Croatia Rally – Overall Result
- Position 1: Sebastien Ogier/Vincent Landais (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1), Time: 2h40m23.6s
- Position 2: Elfyn Evans/Scott Martin (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1), Time: +9.7s
- Position 3: Thierry Neuville/Martijn Wydaeghe (Hyundai i20 N Rally1), Time: +45.8s
- Position 4: Ott Tanak/Martin Jarveoja (Hyundai i20 N Rally1), Time: +58.6s
- Position 5: Takamoto Katsuta/Aaron Johnston (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1), Time: +1m55.5s
Drivers’ standings after the WRC Croatia Rally
- Position 1: Neuville – 86 points
- Position 2: Evans – 80 points
- Position 3: Adrien Fourmaux – 59 points
- Position 4: Tanak – 53 points
- Position 5: Ogier – 45 points
Manufacturers standings after WRC Croatia Rally
- Position 1: Toyota Gazoo Racing – 176 points
- Position 2: Hyundai Motorsport – 169 points
- Position 3: M-Sport Ford – 96 points
Stats reference: www.wrc.com/result-and-standings
Content Reference: www.wrc.com
