Ott Tänak beats Neuville in Rally Japan shakedown

Estonian Ott Tänak, who won his only title in WRC in 2019, approaches this 13th and final round of the 2024 season with a slim chance of winning the drivers' championship, since he is 25 points behind the leader Thierry Neuville. The two pilots Hyundai also carry the weight of their team's constructors' title hopes, with Hyundai holding a slender 15-point lead over the home team. Toyota Gazoo Racing.

In the hope of winning the title, Ott Tänak approached this Rally from Japan at breakneck speed, beating Thierry Neuville by two seconds. The weekend is going to be full of attacks from everyone, I imagine., Tänak said. Toyota has a big target, and so do we, so we definitely want to defend ourselves against them. Let's see how it goes. » The Estonian did not, however, set the best time over the 2,75 kilometres at Kuragaike Park, as he was beaten by the surprising Chris Ingram in a Toyota GR Yaris Rally2.

The French Adrien fourmaux (M-Sport) and Sébastien Ogier (Toyota) respectively posted the third and fourth times, ahead of local Takamoto Katsuta (Toyota) and Grégoire Munster (M-Sport). Thierry Neuville had to settle for seventh place. "NWe have our goals clearly in mind, declared the Belgian. As a team we want to bring both championships home. We need to find the right balance between pushing and managing the gap, but it will be an exciting weekend. »

Meet at 11:05 a.m. (French time) for the first special stage of the Rally Japan, scheduled for 2,15 km in the Toyota Stadium.

The 2024 Rally Japan Shakedown Standings:

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