Thierry Neuville grabbed a slender overnight lead as the first-ever Central European Rally got under way on Thursday.

Thousands of spectators descended on Czech capital Prague earlier today to witness the FIA World Rally Championship’s cars and stars flagged away by Czech President Petr Pavel. Two quickfire super special tests followed as the rally journeyed back into south-eastern Germany where the Passau service park is located.

Neuville, driving a Hyundai i20 N, was third-fastest through the opening stage at Cluchle’s horseracing arena but a benchmark time for Circuit of Klatovy saw the Belgian leapfrog M-Sport Ford Puma driver Ott Tänak to lead by 1.2sec overnight.

“It was not the greatest stage,” Neuville said of his run over the damp roads of SS2. “I think it was in between the wet and the soft [tyres], and I decided to go to the soft at the very last moment. The anti-cut [devices] were reflecting from the light so we couldn’t see very well, but we had a clean run through.”

Eight-time world champion Sébastien Ogier reported that he “did not have a good feeling” aboard his Toyota GR Yaris but did enough to secure the final podium spot. He trailed Tänak by 4.6sec with team-mate Kalle Rovanperä, the championship leader, a single tenth behind.

Rovanperä could clinch his second consecutive WRC title this week, depending on how he fares against colleague Elfyn Evans. An overshoot for Evans left the Welshman 4.8sec behind the Finn in eighth overall.

Teemu Suninen, Takamoto Katsuta and Pierre-Louis Loubet were blanketed by 2.1sec in fifth, sixth and seventh overall, with Esapekka Lappi and Grégoire Munster completing the top 10.

Ott Tänak and the M-Sport Ford World Rally Team have arrived at the mutual decision to conclude their partnership at the end of the 2023 FIA World Rally Championship. 

The return of Tänak reunites two of the team’s most successful crews and underscores the commitment of Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team to the WRC in 2024

Hyundai Motorsport has announced its clear intentions to compete at the forefront of the 2024 FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) by fielding a proven title-winning line-up of Thierry Neuville and Ott Tänak next season.
 
Tänak, with co-driver Martin Järveoja, returns to the team where he claimed five wins across a three-season period from 2020, intent on helping Hyundai Motorsport to further championship success. The Estonian is one of the most versatile drivers in the sport and played a key role in the defence of the team’s manufacturers’ crown in 2020.
 
Neuville, who has taken 18 of the team’s 26 WRC victories to date, has been a firm fixture in the Alzenau-based squad since its debut season in 2014. The team remains loyal to the Belgian who has helped cement two manufacturers’ titles in 2019 and 2020.
 
Hyundai Motorsport will take its time to explore various options for the rest of its 2024 WRC line-up.
 
The re-signing of Tänak alongside Neuville reaffirms the team’s commitment to the WRC. The 2024 season is an important milestone in the company’s history, marking the tenth anniversary of its debut in the series.

 
Hyundai Motorsport President Sean Kim said: “With Thierry and Ott, Hyundai Motorsport has two of the most talented and competitive crews leading the charge for our 2024 campaign. This combination is a proven success; it yielded our second manufacturers’ title in 2020, and in 2022 we claimed our highest number of wins in a single season. We are delighted to welcome Ott back into our fold and look forward fighting for more together in our next chapter.”
 

Hyundai Motorsport Team Principal Cyril Abiteboul said: “Hyundai Motorsport exists to ultimately fight for rally wins and championship titles. We want to be seen as a credible contender with the tools to do the job; that means the car, the organisation, and the driving talent. In exploring our options for 2024, I opened a discussion with Ott, who was excited by the renewed ambitions and structure that we are putting in place. We are pleased that he is ready to resume the unfinished business that he has with our team. I am confident that, in the right environment, Thierry and Ott can bring out the best in each other. With this pair of winning crews secured, we can take some time to strategically consider our full line-up for next season.”
 
Ott Tänak said: “I am excited to re-join Hyundai Motorsport from the 2024 WRC season. Since our paths parted exactly one year ago, the team has been working very hard on the new technical structure. Hyundai Motorsport has a clear vision and target for the near future, and it is something that convinced me to join our forces again. I am also looking forward to work with Cyril Abiteboul and François-Xavier Demaison, as their experience and knowledge in motorsport is definitely a big advantage for the whole team. Our goal in this new chapter will be nothing less than to win all the three titles, and with the new structure of the team, we have all the tools needed to achieve it. Game on!”

Ott Tanak and co-driver Martin Jarveoja took WRC Rally Chile by the scruff of the neck and dominated from stage five onward in their M-Sport Ford Puma

Toyota needed a four point swing to clinch the Manufacturers’ Championship and after Suninen’s demise in the penultimate stage, and in spite of Neuville’s best efforts, it wasn’t enough to keep the fight alive as Toyota swept to a 1 – 2 on the Wolf Power Stage, earning nine points.

Behind Neuville’s Hyundai, Evans made it three different manufacturers in the top three, followed by Kalle Rovanpera and Takamoto Katsuta.

Oliver Solberg took a comfortable WRC2 win – his second of the year – ahead of Gus Greensmith

Toyota Gazoo Racing clinched the Manufacturers’ Championship

Ott Tanak still leads by 51.6 seconds while second-placed Teemu Suninen is under huge pressure from Thierry Neuville in a fight for second place with two stages remaining.

Tanak is cruising to the finish, saving his car and tyres for the Wolf Power Stage later this afternoon where extra championship points are on offer. While overall positions in the top six remain unchanged, Suninen has seen his lead cut from 13.9 seconds overnight to just 6.7 seconds by his teammate Thierry Neuville in a frenetic fight for second.

Elfyn Evans is still the leading Toyota Gazoo Racing Yaris, adding a few seconds to his lead over birthday boy Kalle Rovanpera, who turns 23 today.

Happy birthday Kalle, from all at Motorsport Week and Motorsport Monday!

Ott Tänak closed in on the Rally Chile Bio Bío silverware and his second win of the season by dominating Saturday to build a commanding lead as tyres dominated the day.

Pick the right compound, and you’re good to go. Choose the wrong one, and you lose truckloads of time as Toyota Gazoo Racing trio found out to their cost.

Tänak and his M-Sport Ford Puma were imperious as the Estonian turned a 4.2 second lead into a massive 58.3 second advantage over Hyundai Shell Mobis’ Teemu Suninen at the end of the rally’s longest day.

Saturday’s stages were longer, twistier and much more abrasive than Friday’s. And while Tänak’s rivals leaned towards Pirelli’s soft compound rubber for the morning loop, the Estonian’s decision to take four hard tyres with him made a world of difference.

With their tyres worn down by the time they had reached the final stage before lunchtime, Suninen, Evans and Rovanperä all leaked masses of time. Tänak, whose hard choice boasted a longer lifespan, took full advantage and extended his lead to 47.8sec before service.

Tyre preservation remained a key factor on the repeated afternoon loop but, with the hard work done, Tänak and co-driver Martin Järveoja were able to manage their lead over Suninen.

“It’s been an extremely good day,” Tänak admitted. “It’s been working in our favour and, on the stages which were bad, we had the advantage to slow down but, when it was needed, we were able to speed up. It’s not finished yet, so we need to keep it going tomorrow.”

Neuville was hindered by a slow puncture in the day’s opening stage but passed Evans late in the morning to make it two Hyundai i20 N cars inside the top three. He and Suninen were split by 13.9sec after Saturday’s loops and barring any drama on Sunday, will postpone Toyota’s Manufacturers’ title celebrations.

For Rovanperä, who ended the day 39.3sec behind Evans in fifth overall, will also most likely have to wait for his second title.

The Finn turns 23 on Sunday and carried a commanding 33-point lead into this 11th round of the season, but requires a score 28 points higher than team-mate Evans’ if he is to celebrate the title with two rallies remaining.

Takamoto Katsuta experienced tyre troubles of his own in SS9 but remained a lonely sixth overall in another Toyota. Behind him was WRC2 leader Oliver Solberg who, along with Gus Greensmith, passed Sami Pajari in the final stage as the Škoda Fabia driver struggled with tyre wear.

Grégoire Munster lost seven minutes when he stopped to change two wheels late in the day. His time loss allowed Yohan Rossel to complete the top 10. Sunday’s finale boasts speed tests in Las Pataguas and El Poñen, each driven twice and punctuated by a brief 15-minute service halt. The second pass of the latter forms the Wolf Power Stage where vital bonus points are up for grabs.

Ott Tanak returned to the mid-day service with a handy 47.8 second lead after outsmarting his rivals on tyre strategy on Saturday morning’s loop of three stages

Stage seven was particularly dusty with numerous drivers complaining of visibility problems. “For sure, with this dust, you cannot drive like normal”, said Takamoto Katsuta. Thierry Neuville had a puncture, dropping 15.7 seconds to Rovanpera. Suninen dropped behind Evans suffering from a handling imbalance, his Hyundai going from under- to oversteer and wasn’t happy at all.

Drivers switched to tyre management mode for stage eight which was to prove crucial with one stage remaining before heading back to service.

Chilean Alberto Heller, driving a rented Ford Puma, arrived at the end of stage nine with both rear tyres destroyed. Gregoire Munster, making his Rally1 debut, had a spin and ended the stage with a destroyed left rear tyre. Katsuta finished with a delaminated right-rear tyre; Rovanpera finished with bald tyres, ruing his choice of four of Pirelli’s soft compound rubber.

Elfyn Evans also went for the all-soft tyre compound route, and endedthe stage with two delaminated rear tyres and dropped to fourth in the standings

So there’s a Ford, two Hyundais and three Toyotas filling the top six.

Down in WRC2, Oliver Solberg had a huge spin but took the lead from Sami Pajari after the young Finn had to stop several times due to dust visibility issues in the day’s opening stage

Standing after Stage9

Estonian Ott Tanak stormed into the lead after blitzing two of the three stages in Friday’s second loop.

The leaderboard had a shake-up after the midday service. Erstwhile rally leader Elfyn Evans found the going tricky, complaining about the slippery stages.

Teemu Suninen won stage four to take the rally lead by 3.8 seconds but it was short-lived as Tanak was on a charge.

The M-Sport Ford Puma star won both stages five and six to hold a 4.2 second overnight lead from the leading Hyundai of Suninen. Evans held on to third place but Kalle Rovapera – running first on the road lost fourth to Thierry Neuville in the day’s final stage after losing time with a half-spin. Neuville had been unhappy with his car’s handling the whole day but made some set-up changes for the afternoon stint.

Takamoto Katsuta is sixth overall, admitting his driving wasn’t up to his usual standard and had a big moment in SS5 when he landed badly after a big jump, running up a steep embankment. “We had a massive moment in this one, so I don’t know how we got away with that one!” the Japanese driver reported. “The rear wing is on so that’s good news for me”.

Sami Pajari heads the Rally2 fight by 13.3 seconds from Oliver Solberg

Ott Tanak claimed his first victory with his new squad and M-Sport’s first since Rallye Monte-Carlo last year. The Estonian survived a late scare to win by 18.7s to Hyundai’s Craig Breen. A fumbled team order meant that the Irishman finished ahead of Neuville by 1.3s.

Tanak started the final day by extending his lead over Breen on SS16. The Estonian created an 11.6s gap to his Hyundai rival despite having a minor scare at a braking point in the stage. Breen responded in the next stage, however, outpacing Tanak by 3.1s to cut the lead back to 8.5s.

In the battle for the final spot on the podium, Kalle Rovanpera closed the gap to Thierry Neuville with the advantage of starting with four fresh tyres paying dividends. 1.1s separated the two heading into the last two stages of the rally. The Belgian replied by fitting fresh tyres and winning the stage by 3.8s to Breen, but more importantly, Neuville gained 6s on Rovanpera to re-open the gap to 7.1s

Drama struck though before the final stage as Breen was handed a 10s time penalty for arriving at regroup a minute late. This dropped the Irishman to third with his full-time teammate, Neuville promoted to second place before the Wolf Power Stage.

Neuville was the first of the top three to finish the stage but made a mistake when he nearly overshot a junction 8.7km into the test. This meant that the likely team order that put Neuville ahead of Breen, failed.

“It wasn’t a good stage,” Neuville commented at the finish. “I was a bit scared in the brakings and I was afraid to overshoot. We are here. It was an incredible weekend, a tough weekend, but a great weekend for the team overall. All the drivers did a good job and the car was fast. That’s the positive from this weekend.”

This meant Breen finished 1.8s in front of his teammate and in second place. Breen was delighted with the result but acknowledged that it wasn’t the plan heading into the final stage.

“That wasn’t the plan, but I had no way of knowing. We’re happy – it’s been an incredible weekend and great to be back at the front again,” said Breen.

With Hyundai failing to put Neuville in front of Breen and costing the Irishman time, all that was left to do was for Ott Tanak to bring home the victory in what is his first for M-Sport Ford in only his second start.

“It obviously means a lot to me, to come into a new car and deliver to these guys at M-Sport. It’s a big effort for them to fight against such big manufacturers. I am sure they are getting quite a bit of stress from me, but as long as it’s delivering then we are all winning. It’s great to be part of this team,” said Tanak.

Esapekka Lappi took the power stage honours followed by Elfyn Evans and Rovanpera with the top 5 covered by 0.8s.

Overall standings:

1. Tanak – +2hr 25min 54.5s
2. Breen – +18.7s
3. Neuville – +20.0s
4. Rovanpera – +25.1s
5. Evans – +1min 24s
6. Loubet – +5min 59s

Next up, the teams head to Mexico on 16^th – 19^th March where Sebastien Ogier will return at the wheel of the Toyota GR Yaris Rally 1.

Ott Tanak heads into the final day of Rally Sweden with an 8.6s gap to Craig Breen after a tightly fought battle that included tyre drama for both crews. Thierry Neuville jumped into third 23.7s after the final stage of Saturday’s running.

Day 3 saw battle resume between Ott Tanak and Craig Breen with the latter continuing to lead throughout the morning loop. Breen initially opened a 5.7s gap to his Ford rival over the first two stages but Breen lost the ground he made on the final stage of the morning to end up near his starting gap.

Tanak came out of the gates quickly in the afternoon and outpaced Breen by 1.3s to reduce the gap to 1.7s after SS12. The stage was also where the gravel that was being unearthed by the cars became an issue.

Elfyn Evans made contact with a snowbank after losing the rear end which subsequently dropped the Welshman to sixth after that stage.

It was SS13 though where the drama really ramped up, Breen gave away a further 1.2s after his front left tyre on his Hyundai delaminated near the end of the stage. The Irishman’s issues meant that he only had a lead of 0.5s over Tanak which was then capitalised on by the Estonian at the next stage.

Esapekka Lappi had a similar issue but went off on the final corner. The Finn dropped over seven minutes due to being stuck in a snowbank with spectators trying to free the stricken Hyundai. Rovanpera moved up into the top three as a result.

Tanak’s move into the lead on SS14 wasn’t without issue, the Ford suffered a tyre delamination also, but the time loss didn’t seem too great. With the top two separated by 2.3s, there was a battle behind for the last spot on the podium.

Thierry Neuville had been making steady progress throughout the day and finished the penultimate test on the same overall time as Rovanpera. The Belgian won the stage, outpacing the defending champion by 3.4s to make it extremely tight heading to the final stage of the day.

Neuville won SS15 to cement himself in third with Rovanpera knocked down to fourth but it was Tanak with the biggest gain. A 6.3s delta at the finish compared to Breen meant that Tanak heads into the final day of the rally with an 8.6s advantage.

Despite ending the day in the lead, Tanak wasn’t happy with the tyre issues that led to him running one full slick tyre.

“It was quite unfortunate what happened. I had planned for these two stages and we lost a full tyre on the previous one, so we had a full slick for this one. It was not easy.” Said Tanak.

Standings after Saturday

1. Tanak – 1hr 54min 45.4s
2. Breen – +8.6s
3. Neuville – +23.7s
4. Rovanpera – +27.5s
5. Evans – +57.7s
6. Loubet – +2min 28.1s