A dramatic closing day at Croatia Rally, round four of the 2024 FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) season, has seen Hyundai Motorsport’s Thierry Neuville and Martijn Wydaeghe finish on the podium in third.
Sunday brought a number of twists in the story of the rally as crews tackled four tricky final stages – Trakošćan – Vrbno (SS17/19, 13.15km) and Zagorska Sela – Kumrovec (SS18/20, 14.24km), the latter of which proved to be fateful during the first attempt.
The rally-long fight for the lead of continued into the third day of the event. Sadly, Neuville and Wydaeghe’s victory charge ended after a mistake on SS18 saw them slide off the road, losing them over 20 seconds, and they dropped down to third place.
It was a bittersweet conclusion to Croatia for the Belgians, who had demonstrated rally-winning potential for the majority of the event, topping the standings for 15 of the 20 tarmac stages. However, despite nursing damage to their Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid, Neuville and Wydaeghe managed to finish with 19 points and remain in the lead of the drivers’ and codrivers’ championships.
The improved pace of the Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid on tarmac was also evident in the performance of Ott Tänak and Martin Järveoja on Sunday, with the Estonians locked in a close battle in the Super Sunday standings. On the eventful SS18, which also featured “a bit more than a moment” for the #8 crew, Tänak and Järveoja secured their first stage win of the weekend. They finished second in the Sunday points and fourth overall to be the second highest-scoring crew in Croatia.
Meanwhile Andreas Mikkelsen and Torstein Eriksen continued their learning curve on the tricky and dirty roads, where they often struggled to find the confidence they needed to push to the limit. It was a promising finish to Croatia Rally for the pair, who finished fourth in the Super Sunday standings and sixth overall.
The battle in the manufacturers’ championship continues to be tight, with Hyundai Motorsport now trailing by seven points. WRC now heads to Portugal for the first of seven gravel events, where the team hopes to once again demonstrate the strong pace of the Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid on the surface.
Croatia Rally was a fitting tribute to Craig Breen, perfectly encapsulating what he loved most about rallying. The entire Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team has channelled one of his most iconic sayings this weekend: “Don’t forget to enjoy it, don’t forget to have fun. Life is too short.”
