Thierry Neuville has been disqualified from Safari Rally Kenya for breaching reconnaissance regulations.
The Hyundai driver had finished eighth overall on round seven of the 2023 World Rally Championship – retiring on Friday when a bolt came loose on the top mount of his suspension but recovering to finish in the points and top the powerstage.
But Neuville and co-driver Martijn Wydaeghe were summoned to meet the stewards after the conclusion of the event and subsequently disqualified as “a person connected with the crew of car no.11 travelled on or over the route of two special stages, after reconnaissance, without authorisation”.
In the hearing, Neuville “promptly admitted” that “he was aware of the identified person and that he had requested this person’s support in identifying specific concerns (areas where rocks had moved) in some special stages that the crew will be required to compete on.
“The driver presented an honest synopsis of the situation and apologized to the stewards for his lapse in judgement.”
Neuville is said to have taken “the onus of responsibility for this infringement”.
Wydaeghe “highlighted the crew’s concern when it comes to the safe navigation of the challenging routes and how they perceive some ambiguity to what constitutes corner-cutting and the anti-cutting measures that the organizer was perceived to have introduced following reconnaissance”.
The stewards “acknowledged and accepted the honesty and feedback on the part of the crew and viewed that the crew may have been misguided in mitigating safety withactions that are in breach of the regulations”.
However that did not prevent them from disqualifying Neuville from the overall results.
Neuville had amassed 102 points after the Safari but is now back on 93 and has slipped from second to fifth in the championship.
Elfyn Evans is now up to second with 99 points, one point clear of Ott Tänak who has now been credited with victory on the powerstage.
Safari Rally winner Sébastien Ogier remains level with Tänak having also gained an extra powerstage point, but Neuville’s demotion means Kalle Rovanperä’s championship lead is now even bigger.
It had grown to 37 points over Neuville, but his lead now stands at 41 points over Evans. Neuville is 47 points adrift.
