Elfyn Evans Secures Rally Japan Victory While Thierry Neuville Clinches Maiden WRC Championship

Elfyn Evans, accompanied by co-driver Scott Martin, secured his first victory of the year at the season-concluding Rally Japan, an event that simultaneously saw Thierry Neuville claim his maiden World Rally Championship (WRC) title. Neuville, a Belgian driver, clinched the overall championship after his Hyundai team-mate, Ott Tanak, crashed during the final morning of the rally while holding the lead. Tanak’s incident also resulted in the Rally Japan victory for Evans, aged 35, and propelled the Welsh competitor past Tanak in the overall standings, marking his fourth second-place finish in five years. Furthermore, Evans’ triumph ensured the manufacturers’ title for Toyota Gazoo Racing, serving as a consolation for their failure to secure the drivers’ championship for the first time in six years. Evans commented, “It wasn’t looking so good at one point but very happy with the result, very happy for the team.” He added, “We’re sorry we couldn’t deliver one more championship but we’ll try again next year.” Evans concluded, “Little bit of pressure for sure, but that’s the name of the game.” Thierry Neuville, who first competed in the WRC in 2009, maintained his lead in the 2024 championship throughout the entire season. Neuville, aged 36, commenced the concluding rally of the 13-event series holding a 25-point advantage over Tanak, requiring only six points from the weekend to secure the drivers’ title. His aspirations faced a challenge on Friday afternoon when a turbo issue caused him and co-driver Martijn Wydaeghe to fall to 15th position. The pair subsequently recovered their position on the leaderboard before Tanak’s mistake on stage 17 ultimately awarded his Hyundai team-mate the championship, marking his first title after 15 years of attempts. Having finished as runner-up five times, Neuville’s 5,533-day wait for the world crown represents the longest in the history of the WRC. Neuville stated, “I’m feeling great to be honest. We worked for that for so long, so super happy. We always give it all but this year we were rewarded for it.” He continued, “I don’t have the words, but I just want to thank everybody who was part of it, who supported, and us and the team as well.” The final drivers’ standings are as follows: 1. Thierry Neuville (Belgium), Hyundai, 242 points 2. Elfyn Evans (Great Britain), Toyota, 210 3. Ott Tanak (Estonia), Hyundai, 200 4. Sebastien Ogier (France), Toyota, 191 5. Adrien Fourmaux (France), Ford, 162 6. Kalle Rovanpera (Finland), Toyota, 116 The final manufacturers’ standings are as follows: 1. Toyota Gazoo Racing, 561 2. Hyundai Shell Mobis, 558 3. M-Sport Ford, 295