Neuville cracked, Tänak took advantage of it on the Ypres Rally

A small mistake with very big consequences. One failed braking, and a victory is gone. This story, Thierry Neuville would have liked not to live it at home, on the Rally of Ypres. Dominant leader of the event, the Belgian was still in the lead at the start of SS15 and was taking off since the start of the day.

But the pilot Hyundai has accustomed us too often to this scene, that we are no longer even surprised: in a tight turn, the native of Saint-Vith wanted to do too much and went out wide. Stuck in a ditch for many seconds, Neuville was forced to stop a few meters further on, his car dying. “I was surprised because the bend was full of dirt following the cars in front of me. We had nothing in the notes. I could not do anything. I just understeered into the ditch. » reacted the beat of the day.

Thierry Neuville CRASH ss15 Ypres rally leading by 16sec #wrc #neuville pic.twitter.com/BT3OYj6rOk

— lewis sim (@lewissim9) August 20

The first victory of the season, which seemed promised to him, therefore escaped from the hands of Thierry Neuville. And at the end of the second day of this Ypres Rally, it is Ott Tänak who seized this opportunity. The Estonian became the new leader of the Flemish event and won his psychological duel against his teammate and rival at Hyundai. An internal battle that sparks. “As he (Neuville) said before, I probably didn't have a problem. It's a shame what happened, but I think within the team we shouldn't fight against each other." declared the 2019 world champion, throwing a little dig at Neuville. 

Tänak – Evans duel on the Ypres Rally

If Tänak won his duel against his teammate, he still has another duel on his way: that with Elfyn Evans. Still in ambush since Friday morning, the Welshman is 8″2 off the lead in the Ypres Rally. The pilot Toyota is aiming for a first victory this season and could also help Kalle Rovanperä for the championship. Behind, the hole is made. Esapekka Lappi, opportunistic 3rd, is relegated more than a minute behind the leading duo. The Finn managed his pace all afternoon, looking for a second consecutive podium after Finland.

Even further behind, we find two drivers in unusual positions: Oliver Solberg and Adrien fourmaux, respectively 4th and 5th in the Ypres Rally. The two drivers are on similar pace, but the Frenchman was penalized 20 seconds for showing up 2 minutes late at the start of the 15th special. “There were a lot of people on the road so we tried to pass people but we were stopped by the police. We have to see if we can do something but yes, we were two minutes late. " has explained the pilot M-Sport at the arrival. Now, only 14 seconds separate the two men, who will be battling for the chocolate medal on Sunday.

In WRC2, Stéphane Lefebvre took a more comfortable gap this afternoon ahead of Andreas Mikkelsen. The Citroën driver scored 3 scratches on the 4 stages of the second loop. Yohan Rossel is still 3rd but one minute behind his compatriot.

The general classification after SS16: 

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