Neuville abandons, Katsuta new leader

A mechanical problem forced the Belgian to throw in the towel for the rest of the Kenya Rally of which he had been the leader since Friday.

Published on 27/06/2021 à 07:37

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Terrible blow for Thierry Neuville forced to retire. ©DPPI/F. Flemish

This is yet another hard blow that has just been suffered Thierry Neuville (Hyundai) this Sunday morning in Kenya.

Leading the event since SS2 on Friday, the Belgian will not be crowned at the end of the weekend due to a too fragile rear shock absorber.

The latter having given way during SS14, the first of this Sunday, Thierry Neuville saw himself obliged to abandon the Rally from Kenya as confirmed by Hyundai shortly after the finish of the special.

« Thierry Neuville and Martin Wydaeghe were forced to hand over control of the Kenya Rally after SS14 due to a broken rear shock absorber. The team will collect the car and return it to the service park ».

#WRC @thierryneuville & @MWydaeghe forced to withdraw from the lead at @wrcsafarirally after SS14 with a broken rear-right damper. The team will recover the car and bring it back to service. #HMSGOfficial #SafariRallyKenya

— hmsgofficial (@HMSGOfficial) June 27, 2021

Thierry Neuville on the mat, Takamoto Katsuta (Toyota) finds himself in the leader's shoes before SS15. The Japanese is 4” ahead of his teammate Sébastien Ogier. It remains to be seen whether a team order will be passed or not.