Plans were tentatively being put in place. No firm arrangements of course – that would simply be tempting fate – but Thierry Neuville’s team and his loyal supporters were expecting.
It looked for all the world that Neuville would finally conquer the world at Central European Rally. Indeed it was one of the reasons I was most looking forward to going: seeing a World Rally champion crowned in person for the first time in my career.
But the king’s coronation must wait, at least for now. Two mistakes on the same stage undid all of Neuville’s previous hard work, and handed team-mate (and now only title rival) Ott Tänak an incredible rally win – with a little assistance from Sébastien Ogier.
Aptly, CER was all about the four men who have become world championship challengers in 2024. Neuville and Tänak in the Hyundai corner; Ogier and Elfyn Evans in Toyota’s.
Super-close racing would unfold over Friday’s leg in Czechia, but only two men assumed the rally leading position: Ogier and Neuville. On a weekend where he knew an extra two points over Tänak, and losing no more than 11 to Ogier, would safeguard the world title he has long deserved and craved, Neuville was driving like a man free of any stress.
Championship leader was unperturbed by distractions on Czech stages
He didn’t need to lead after the first leg, but he had Ogier 6.4s in the rear view mirror and Tänak another 1.4s further back. A scratch time on SS4 was enabling Evans to cling on, but he was 15.1s off the rally-leading Belgian.
As Neuville strolled over towards DirtFish’s camera in the end-of-day media zone, the self assurance was obvious; the Thierry Neuville Supporters Club flag draping over the barriers a reminder of the history that was on the line.
“So far, I feel pretty relaxed about it, to be honest,” Neuville said, backing up his demeanor, “but I was very focused as well on our driving.”
After all, a win would be a nice way to wrap up the championship. “I mean, obviously, if you want a perfect scenario, for sure,” he smiled.
“We can’t lose more than 10 points on Sébastien, and we need to take two more than Ott. So, at the current position, it’s obviously very good. However, we don’t necessarily need to secure the title this weekend. I would be also happy to go with a comfortable lead into Japan.”
Prophetic words perhaps.
Relaxed demeanor showed on and off stage
Saturday dawned and the tight racing would continue. Tänak woke up the hungriest, leapfrogging Ogier into second and closing to within just half a second of Neuville’s lead. But it wasn’t sustained pace – thanks in part to a text from Cyril Abiteboul reminding Ott to consider the risks.
With the manufacturers’ championship also on the line, Hyundai was being pushed towards the ropes. Andreas Mikkelsen had understeered into a series of fence posts on Friday and afforded Toyota a man advantage on the field. Tänak now had to play banker as well as attacker.
“For sure, after Andreas retired, it was very difficult for the team to really balance out if you risk to get more points or you risk to lose a lot of points,” an understanding Tänak offered.
But this really was just a small subplot to a bigger evolving picture. Saturday had the feel of a grenade waiting to explode. All very tight, all very tentative. Who was going to blink first?
In the end it was the man many believe to be next in line to the throne. The deafening shriek from inside the DirtFish car (made by an individual who shall remain anonymous to spare his blushes) illustrated the gravity of the situation.
Neuville's two excursions on same Saturday stage injected drama
It was Neuville – the driver Colin Clark and I had, only 15 hours earlier, praised for looking totally unsusceptible to any kind of mistake.
The first was simple enough – a spin through a tight corner. The second was what sent alarm bells ringing a) for its timing (barely a minute or so later) and b) for the brief moment it looked as if Neuville was doomed.
Carrying way too much speed into a corner, Neuville elected to point his Hyundai towards the field and recover the car. What he didn’t account for was the size of the culvert on the side of the road, obstructing his path to the stage. For a brief moment, the wheels spun but the traction was gone. It looked like Neuville wasn’t getting out.
“I knew we would get out at some point, whether we needed spectators or not,” Neuville insisted. “The ditch wasn’t very deep, it was just the angle was very bad.
“And yeah, very slippery, obviously, in the field. But we didn’t lose too much time at the end, roughly 30 seconds, but enough to be out of the fight for podium.”
With Tänak second, consigned there after a strong Ogier response in the afternoon, Neuville had dropped points. It would take a bit of a miracle to overturn that on Sunday – especially considering the jeopardy of losing the 10 points he had reserved against his name.
But again, Neuville was clear. The title did not need to be won in Central Europe.
“No, I mean, it was pretty clear for us that we don’t need to secure it here this weekend,” he said. “Obviously, there’s always hope for it, that’s for sure. Nevertheless, if you can get away from this weekend with a 25 points lead, approximate 20-25 points lead, I think we can be very happy.”
Ironically, that’s exactly what Neuville ended up with – a 25-point lead over Tänak with just 30 left to claim in Japan.
But although Neuville’s deficit was cut by twice as much as Hyundai’s was in the manufacturers’ race (four points compared to two), the second battle arguably upstaged the former – chiefly because of the demise of the #17 Toyota.
Over time, I have become more and more of a team playerSébastien Ogier
In truth, Ogier has had an eventful season. Claiming an awesome second considering his uncle had passed on the week of the Monte Carlo Rally, victories followed in both Croatia and Portugal as on the asphalt Neuville and Evans blinked, and the gravel it was team-mate Kalle Rovanperä.
Then there was Ogier’s gut-wrenching 0.2s defeat to Tänak in Sardinia thanks to a flat tire; his withdrawal from Rally Poland due to an accident on the recce; and of course a second career Finland win as a rock in the road thwarted home hero Rovanperä’s dreams. That result moved Ogier into championship contention, but ever since it’s been the others profiting.
Accidents on the Acropolis and Chile took the sting out of the tantalizing proposition of Ogier nicking a world title he had never set out to fight for. But with hope all but extinguished, Ogier’s attention was back on the manufacturers’ championship in CER.
Full points from Saturday was a mega return, and a reflective Ogier considered the importance of that to him.
“I have to be honest, I think like most of us racing drivers, we are very egotistical. You always think about yourself first. That’s the way it works and that’s the way you go forward in this business,” the eight-time champion shared.
Ogier was mighty en route to Saturday lead...
“But I have to say very honestly that over time, year after year, I have become more and more of a team player and I really enjoy this situation, also because I feel really good in this team. They gave me really a great car first of all and also an opportunity to really adjust my schedule like I want. And I think we are working well together and as much as I can give back, I try to do it.
That’s why the manufacturers’ championship is important for me, now more than ever, and I’m excited to be in this battle.”
Moving words that only go to serve just why Ogier would end up so distraught the following morning.
A costly overshoot on Sunday’s first stage was a rocky start, and allowed Tänak into the overall rally lead. Not that that was the classification that mattered – Super Sunday is where the points would be won.
Ogier picked it up on the next test and looked set to recover into at least the top five of the Super Sunday standings, but then SS17 happened.
... but eight-time champion's third crash in three events did not help Toyota's manufacturers' championship cause
DirtFish had already run through the woods earlier that morning to discover Sami Pajari’s crashed Toyota, but we never expected to be heading to almost exactly the same spot in search of another bent Yaris. Particularly not Ogier’s.
Too fast into a right-hander through the trees, Ogier ripped the rear-left wheel off and spun across the road, nosing a telegraph pole and felling it as his car came to rest. Adrenalin pumping, there was disbelief. Belts off and out of the car, disbelief turned to anguish. The usually unflappable Ogier knelt down next to his car and exclaimed.
By the time DirtFish arrived, he was across the road and standing in a field – on the phone to the team. But the pain was obvious as he looked directly into the camera and apologized: “What can I say? Sorry, guys. I did what I could, but unfortunately, it was again not my weekend.”
It stung.
“Maybe this was one of the most difficult days for him for a long time,” analyzed Ogier’s former rival and now his team principal at Toyota, Jari-Matti Latvala.
“But this is rallying, and I said to him, we had to push, you had to push, we had to go for it. It didn’t work out. The speed is the most important thing, you know. Without the speed, then you have nothing.”
Mercifully for Ogier, Toyota wasn’t left with nothing. Takamoto Katsuta in particular stepped up to claim a maximum 12 points from Sunday – remarkable really when you consider he was bouncing back from “one of the toughest moments of my life” – and Evans wound up the rally’s top scorer, taking home 24. That slimmed Hyundai’s lead to 15.
But did the wrong Hyundai win the rally? Is Tänak really still in this fight? And can Toyota genuinely overhaul a Hyundai lead that’s looked so assured since early August?
On a weekend where we expected at least half of this year’s world title questions to be answered, instead more questions have arisen.
Neuville's world championship celebrations have gone on hold
But the mood in the Neuville camp remains high.
“Of course, we would all have liked to take it here: the fans, the Belgian supporters, the family was there,” he confessed, letting his guard down a touch.
“Nevertheless, I know as well that they will be very happy as well if we take it in Japan finally.”
As co-driver Martijn Wydaeghe sauntered away from the final podium, fresh from standing on the third step, he noticed a young boy on the other side of the barriers, looking at him with awe.
Instinctively, Wydaeghe made a beeline for him and plonked his Pirelli cap upon the boy’s head. A day was made. The lad’s smile was infectious as he beamed from ear to ear, powered by a newfound boost of energy as he ran all over the place. Wydaeghe drank in the moment and smiled.
He and Neuville still look more than likely to resemble that little boy this season – running around with the world at their feet.
Just not yet.
