Thierry Neuville was finally crowned WRC World Rally Champion on Sunday after failing to finish second no less than five times (and third on three occasions), a sacrifice not only for the Belgian driver but also for the manufacturer Hyundai with whom he has been competing for ten years.
“The truth is I don’t know what to say… But I think we deserve it. It has been a very complicated season and we were under a lot of pressure, especially this weekend. We are very happy and relieved, so we can push as much as possible and hopefully win the constructors’ title as well.“, declared the Belgian at the end of the second Sunday special.
The 36-year-old pilot from Saint-Vith, in the German-speaking region of Belgium, He took the title before the end of the Japan Rally, which he reached with a comfortable lead of 25 points about his teammate Ott Tänak. The Estonian, who had been leading the race since Friday, crashed on Sunday, handing the title to his rival.
Throughout his career, Neuville experienced the dominance of Frenchman Sébastien Ogier in the WRC. With eight titles between 2013 and 2021, the latter crushed the world rally championship, blocking the way to Neuville, who finished second in 2013 and then from 2016 to 2019.
And when Ogier semi-retired in 2022, having contested several rallies that year, young Finn Kalle Rovanperä took over, winning the title in 2022 and 2023.
But this year, both Ogier and Rovanperä have missed 13 rounds of the season, paving the way for Neuville. The Frenchman tried to win a ninth title by deciding to participate in the last six rounds of the championship when he saw it was within his reach, but Neuville’s advantage was too great.
The Belgian driver got his passion for rallying from his father, whom he accompanied to car races in Belgium when he was young. Raised a few kilometers from the legendary Belgian circuit of Spa-Francorchamps, the champion knew “from the age of four” that he wanted to devote himself to rallying: “This sport seemed very beautiful to me,” declared he last year on the Propulsion Podcast, a program specializing in motor sport.
At 19, he took part in his first rally in Luxembourg and finished 2nd. He then discovered the WRC in 2009, driving a Citroën, where he finished 7th in the Junior World Rally Championship.
Considered one of the great hopes of the new generation of rally drivers, In 2012, Neuville competed in his first full season in the WRCagain for the French brand. The following year he switched to Ford and stood on the podium for the first time at Rally Mexico, finishing second behind Ogier.
In 2014 he signed for Hyundai, where he has remained loyal ever since.. It is the first time this year that the South Korean brand has won the drivers’ title, after winning the constructors’ title twice in 2019 and 2020.
Thierry Neuville now has 21 WRC wins, 2 of them this year. Although he can be very fast, the Belgian also has a tendency to make small mistakes, which caused some spectacular accidents. At the last Central European Rally, in October, his fever led him to suffer several minor traffic accidents, which prevented him from taking the world crown in the penultimate round of the championship.
But after 168 starts in WRC rallies without winning the title, end the curse.
In the constructors’ championship, the title went to Toyota. The Japanese brand, which was 15 points behind its South Korean rival Hyundai before the final round of the season, took full advantage of Estonian Ott Tänak’s withdrawal and ultimately retained its crown by just three points (561 to 558).
This title and Evans’ victory at home somewhat saves the season for the Japanese team, which has won the last three drivers’ titles thanks to Sébastien Ogier (2021) and Kalle Rovanperä (2022, 2023), who did not compete at all of the race this year.
world rally
Palmares
2024: Thierry Neuville – M. Wydaeghe (BEL/Hyundai)
2023: Kalle Rovanperä – Jonne Halttunen (FIN/Toyota)
2022: Kalle Rovanperä – Jonne Halttunen (FIN/Toyota)
2021: Sébastien Ogier – Julien Ingrassia (FRA/Toyota)
2020: Sébastien Ogier – Julien Ingrassia (FRA/Toyota)
2019: Ott Tänak – Martin Järveoja (EST/Toyota)
2018: Sébastien Ogier – J. Ingrassia (FRA/M-Sport Ford)
2017: Sébastien Ogier – J. Ingrassia (FRA/M-Sport Ford)
2016: Sébastien Ogier – J. Ingrassia (FRA/Volkswagen)
2015: Sébastien Ogier – J. Ingrassia (FRA/Volkswagen)
Source: La Verdad
I’m Rose Herman and I work as an author for Today Times Live. My expertise lies in writing about sports, a passion of mine that has been with me since childhood. As part of my job, I provide comprehensive coverage on everything from football to tennis to golf.
