WRC – Title chase goes to Japan as Tänak/Järveoja safe dramatic victory at Central European Rally

The battle for this 12 months’s FIA World Rally Championship is about to go all the way down to the wire after Ott Tänak and co-driver Martin Järveoja claimed a dramatic victory at Central European Rally on Sunday.

In yet one more twist to what has been an exhilarating 2024 season, Tänak took the win by 7.0sec after Sébastien Ogier crashed his Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 HYBRID on a left-hand nook within the penultimate stage. Ogier had been trailing the Estonian by simply 1.5sec on the time of his incident.

Tänak’s triumph, his second of the 12 months, has arrange a final-round showdown with Hyundai i20 N Rally1 HYBRID team-mate Thierry Neuville at subsequent month’s FORUM8 Rally Japan.

Neuville, who had been on the right track to safe his maiden drivers’ title earlier than a pricey spin on Saturday morning, noticed his championship lead minimize from 29 to 25 factors. He ended the rally in third place, 25.8sec behind GR Yaris pilot Elfyn Evans.

Regardless of Ogier’s misfortune, robust Tremendous Sunday performances from Toyota males Evans and Takamoto Katsuta helped trim Hyundai’s benefit within the producers’ championship to fifteen factors. Katsuta was the quickest driver on the ultimate day, together with the Wolf Energy Stage, guaranteeing a tense finale in Japan the place, for the primary time since 2021, each the drivers’ and producers’ titles can be determined on the closing spherical.

Neuville, Ogier, and Tänak all took turns at main the rally, which kicked off in Prague on Thursday and featured difficult asphalt levels unfold throughout the Czech Republic, Austria, and Germany. Tänak struggled along with his automotive’s set-up on Friday morning and initially languished in fifth place, however his tempo improved because the occasion progressed, culminating in his twenty first profession victory.

“Let’s have a look at for the championship,” mentioned the 2019 WRC champion Tänak. “Clearly, with what occurred to Séb… it’s all the time troublesome to battle a good friend after which one thing like this occurs, so it’s troublesome to seek out emotions. Every part modified, particularly within the producers’ championship. We took care to have a clear [final] stage and convey the factors dwelling.”

Katsuta’s robust Sunday run, mixed with Ogier’s exit, noticed him end fourth general, and 41.2sec behind Neuville – a strong end for the Japanese runner earlier than his dwelling occasion subsequent month.

Throughout the service park, Grégoire Munster climbed to fifth in his M-Sport Ford Puma Rally1 HYBRID, equalling his career-best consequence after Sami Pajari rolled his GR Yaris on SS15.

WRC2 Gold for Gryazin/Aleksandrov

Sixth general went to WRC2 winner Nikolay Gryazin, codriven by Konstantin Aleksandrov, who completed 26.1sec forward of Oliver Solberg (Toksport WRT Škoda Fabia RS). 

The DG Sport Competitors Citroën C3 driver seized the lead on the rally’s second stage and by no means surrendered, sustaining his place on the prime all through the tri-nation fixture. Gryazin racked up greater than 10 quickest stage instances over the course of the occasion and constructed a considerable benefit by Saturday night, which he additional prolonged over the closing levels.

Whereas Gryazin is not within the hunt for the general WRC2 title this 12 months, his victory marked his third WRC2 Challenger triumph of the season – a consequence that retains him firmly in rivalry for that title forward of subsequent month’s FORUM8 Rally Japan.

“Thanks to the staff, the co-driver, the gravel crew,” he mentioned. “I couldn’t have achieved this with out the data from them. Thanks for the staff that didn’t let me decelerate this weekend.”

Whereas Gryazin celebrated, his DG Sport Competitors team-mate Yohan Rossel endured a tougher weekend.

The Frenchman wanted to win the rally to maintain his WRC2 championship hopes alive however finally completed languished down in additional than quarter-hour again from the lead after two pricey off-road excursions. His consequence signifies that Sami Pajari and Oliver Solberg – neither of whom had been scoring factors this week – are actually the one drivers in line for the WRC2 crown in Japan.

Filip Mareš delivered one of many standout performances of his profession to complete second in his Toyota GR Yaris Rally2. The Czech driver, an everyday within the FIA European Rally Championship circles, distanced Miko Marczyk on Sunday to succeed in the end 29.1sec away from the Pole and safe a maiden podium within the WRC2 class.

Marczyk battled intently along with his compatriot and fellow Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 driver Kajetan Kajetanowicz all through the occasion, however an overshoot by Kajetanowicz on Saturday’s closing stage successfully ended their duel. Kajetanowicz finally trailed Marczyk by 9.7sec, marking the top of his bid for this 12 months’s WRC2 Challenger title.

2024 FIA Masters Cup champion Armin Kremer, codriven by his daugher Ella, secured the category win in his Škoda Fabia RS Rally2. 

Chatillon cheers the loudest, claiming maiden WRC3 win

Mattéo Chatillon navigated his Renault Clio Rally3 to victory, notching up his maiden WRC3 triumph within the course of.

Beginning Sunday with a 1min 5sec benefit over closest rival Filip Kohn, Chatillon might afford to use a risk-free strategy to the rally’s 4 remaining levels. Whereas the hole closed barely to 56.0sec, the Frenchman was by no means underneath menace of being overtaken.

Having fun with his prize drive for successful the FIA European Rally Championship Ford Fiesta Rally3 Trophy, Kohn couldn’t repeat his victory on Central European Rally from one 12 months in the past, however was in a position to comfortably maintain off Herman Gaßner for the runner-up spot.

Starting the rally’s closing day in fourth, 8.5sec down on Hubert Laskowski, native Renault Clio driver Gaßner wasted no time in overtaking his Polish rival, going second-quickest on the day’s opening stage, 15.2sec faster the Fiesta driver.

There was extra frustration for Czech driver Jan Černy. Following brake points on his Fiesta on Friday and a 1min 4sec penalty on Saturday, the 34-year-old dropped 20.8 sec on the primary working of Knaus Tabbert Am Hochwald, dropping a place to Tristan Charpentier because the pair rounded out the highest six.

The thirteenth and closing spherical of the 2024 WRC season, FORUM8 Rally Japan, takes place in Aichi from 21 – 24 November.