Neuville closes in on maiden World Rally title
Thierry Neuville moved closer to claiming his first World Rally title on Friday by taking the lead in the Central European Rally.
Hyundai's Belgian driver ended the second day on greasy leaf-covered asphalt roads in the Czech Republic over six seconds clear of Sebastien Ogier, and more importantly 7.8s clear of third-placed Ott Tanak.
Neuville has a 29-point lead over teammate Tanak in the title race and needs to outscore the Estonian by at least two points this weekend to secure a maiden championship with one round to spare.
Neuville, with co-driver Martijn Wydaeghe, suffered a minor scare on Thursday when colliding with a bale of straw, but the pair avoided any similar dramas on the second day.
One step closer to the title 🏆#WRC | #CER2024 🇪🇺 pic.twitter.com/U9MdusSe0p
— FIA World Rally Championship (@OfficialWRC) October 18, 2024
Placed second to Ogier overnight, Neuville took command of this 12th leg of the season by the fifth special, and remained at the top of the times by the closing eighth stage.
"I'm happy to be at the end of the day. It's easy to make a mistake and the only thing that's important for us is to make the finish line," said Neuville, a five-time runner-up in the world championship.
"The rain began to fall towards the end and it was pretty greasy in some areas so we played it safe and came through," added the 36-year-old.
The weather could yet be a factor in the destination of the 2024 title, with the forecast for more intense rain on Saturday when the drivers cross over the Czech border to Germany and then Austria.
The third day consists of six stages, with a further four to come on Sunday.
While Tanak is Neuville's main obstacle to his first ever title, mathematically Ogier, an eight-time champion, and the Frenchman's Toyota teammate Elfyn Evans, could still force the battle to go the closing rally in Japan should the Belgian come a cropper over the weekend.
TOP FIVE AFTER THE SECOND DAY
- 1. Thierry Neuville/Martijn Wydaeghe (BEL/Hyundai) 1hr 04min 40.0sec
- 2. Sebastien Ogier/Vincent Landais (FRA/Toyota) at 6.4s
- 3. Ott Tanak/Martin Jarveola (EST/Hyundai) 7.8
- 4.Elfyn Evans/Scott Martin (GBR/Toyota) 15.1
- 5. Takamoto Tatsuta/Aaron Johnston (JPN-IRL/Toyota) 38.6
Special stage winners: Sebastien Ogier (SS1, SS3, SS8), Thierry Neuville (SS2, SS7), Elfyn Evans (SS4), Ott Tanak (SS5). Takamoto Katsuta (ES6)
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