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Tänak in the lead, disaster scenario for Neuville: relive the Rally of Japan with live commentary

Relive the first day of Rally Japan, the thirteenth and final round of the 2024 WRC season, with live commentary on AUTOhebdo.

Published on 22/11/2024 à 05:15

Dorian Grangier

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Tänak in the lead, disaster scenario for Neuville: relive the Rally of Japan with live commentary

© Nikos Katikis / DPPI

The time has come for the outcome! After 12 very competitive rounds throughout this 2024 campaign, the WRC is preparing for its final at Rally from Japan. On the agenda? A lot of issues since Thierry Neuville has the chance to become world rally champion for the first time in his career, while Hyundai et Toyota compete for the Constructors' title.

Friday, November 22
0:44 p.m. – SS3 : Inabu/Shitara 1 – 19,38 km: Sébastien Ogier
2:12 p.m. – SS4 : Shinshiro 1 – 17,41 km : Elfyn Evans
5:32 p.m. – SS5 : Isegami's Tunnel 2 – 23,67 km: Ott Tänak
6:44 p.m. – SS6 : Inabu/Shitara 2 – 19,38 km: Ott Tänak
8:12 p.m. – SS7 : Shinshiro 2 – 17,41 km : Elfyn Evans
10:35 p.m. – SS8 : Okazaki City 1 – 2,54 km: Takamoto katsuta
10:44 p.m. – SS9 : Okazaki City 2 – 2,54 km: Fourmaux / Evans / Katsuta

WRC – Rally Japan
Relive the first day live with commentary

11h03 – 👋 Thank you all for following us! See you at 00:05 tomorrow for the start of the second day of the Rally of Japan, and at 5:05 for the return of the live commentary! Have a nice day!

Tänak solid leader of the Rally of Japan, Neuville relegated to almost eight minutes!

10h59 – 🏁 Ott Tänak is therefore the leader of this Rally Japan at the end of the first day, with a 20″9 lead over Elfyn Evans! The Estonian is doing what is necessary to keep all his chances of the title alive, while Thierry Neuville experienced a real ordeal this Friday with an engine problem that cost him more than seven minutes!

ES8 – Ranking

ES9 – Ranking

General ranking after ES9

10h58 – Grégoire Munster closed the Rally1 ball with a delay of 2″2 on the leaders in the second pass on this Super Special.

10h56 - Takamoto Katsuta makes a small mistake… but finishes tied with Elfyn Evans and Adrien Fourmaux on this SS9! The Frenchman keeps his 3rd place by a tenth!

10h54 – 🇫🇷⏱️ Adrien Fourmaux concludes his second run tied with Elfyn Evans on this SS9. The Frenchman is threatened by Takamoto Katsuta for 3rd place overall...

10h53 – 🇫🇷 Sébastien Ogier fails 0″3 behind Elfyn Evans in his second pass.

10h51 – ⏱️ Second pass for Elfyn Evans and best time of SS9 in 2'01″9. The gap between Ott Tänak and Elfyn Evans is therefore 20″9 on the evening of this first day!

10h49 – ⏱️ Takamoto Katsuta sets the fastest time on SS8 in 2'01″1 and comes within a tenth of Adrien Fourmaux for 3rd place!

10h49 – Ott Tänak finished his second run in 2'02″0, a little slower than his first time.

10h47 – 🇧🇪 Thierry Neuville has already started again in the 2nd pass and has set a new time of 2'16″3 on this SS9. This is four seconds faster than his first pass. For information, only the Top 5 made their first pass in SS8.

10h45 – 🇫🇷 Adrien Fourmaux crosses the finish line 0″3 behind the Tänak / Ogier tandem.

10h43 – 🇫🇷⏱️ Sébastien Ogier puts on a show and takes the provisional best time, tied with Ott Tänak!

10h41 – Elfyn Evans fails to beat Ott Tänak by 1″0 and sees the gap increase to 21″0 in the general classification.

10h39 – ⏱️ It was easily beaten by Ott Tänak who achieved a reference time of 2'01″7. Another 18 seconds lost for Thierry Neuville.

10h37 – 🇧🇪 Logically struggling to re-accelerate with this lack of power, the Belgian clocked a time of 2'20″2 on this first pass.

10h35 – 🟢  Here we go for this Okazaki City Super Special, which will be contested twice! Thierry Neuville was the first to set off into the Japanese night, still hampered by an engine problem.

9h15 – 👋 Meet at 10:35 for the start of SS8 (Okazaki City 1 – 2,54 km).

9h13 – 🔎 Here is the general classification of this Rally of Japan after the passage of the Rally2. Thierry Neuville is now 15th! 

8h50 – 🏁 Second fastest time for Elfyn Evans who gains a tiny bit of time on Ot Tänak, still the solid leader of the Rally of Japan! Thierry Neuville is now 7'08 behind his teammate and rival in the championship…

ES7 – Ranking

8h49 – Grégoire Munster is the last of the Rally1 to finish the special, and finishes 14″7 behind Elfyn Evans on this SS7.

8h45 - Takamoto Katsuta loses his 3rd place to Adrien Fourmaux! The Japanese arrives 15″8 behind Elfyn Evans and concedes 11″2 on the Frenchman, who climbs onto the provisional podium by eight tenths!

8h41 – 🇬🇧 Adrien Fourmaux found his rhythm on this 7th special! The Frenchman, equipped with a headlight bar, finished only 4″6 behind Elfyn Evans, which is much better than on the previous specials. On the intermediates, he is even ahead of Takamoto Katsuta.

8h37 – 🇫🇷 Sébastien Ogier concedes 3″0 to Elfyn Evans in this SS7, with increasingly precarious light.

8h33 – ⏱️ Late at the halfway point of the special, Elfyn Evans finished like a cannonball and beat Ott Tänak by 0″4! The Welshman clocked 9'45″5 and took the provisional best time.

8h29 – ⏱️ Ott Tänak logically sets the reference time in 9'45″9, in the Japanese darkness. "This special was quite tricky, visibility quickly dropped. With normal lights, you can't see anything in the forest."

8h27 – 🇧🇪 Thierry Neuville finished this 7th special in 11'36″1. Only two more Super Specials and his ordeal will be over… The Belgian complains about the visibility: "The special stage should never have started. It's dark in the forest and we don't have a light bar."

8h21 – If the sun rises in Europe, it is already setting in Japan: in the middle of a dense forest, Thierry Neuville has to drive with his headlights on.

8h18 – 🔎 During the first pass on this special, it was Elfyn Evans who set the best time in 9'49″7.

8h15 – 🟢 Here we go for this 7th special with the departure of Thierry Neuville!

8h12 – Just a few more minutes to wait, the start of ES7 is delayed.

8h06 – 🇧🇪 Handicapped by an engine problem since SS4, Thierry Neuville still has to compete in three special stages (including two Super Specials) at a slow pace…

8h00 – ⚠️ If you are just joining us, here is the main information of the night on this Rally of Japan: 

  • Thierry Neuville has suffered an engine problem since SS4 and has lost more than five minutes: he is now outside the Top 10 and must finish the day slowly.
  • Ott Tänak went on the attack on the second loop and leads Rally Japan, 20 seconds ahead of Elfyn Evans and 4'1 ahead of Takamoto Katsuta.
  • Sébastien Ogier suffered a puncture on SS2 and lost two minutes changing his wheel: the Frenchman managed to move up to 5th place overall, 2'12″8 behind Ott Tänak.
  • Andreas Mikkelsen crashed on SS5 and had to retire: the Norwegian hit a tree and remained stuck in the middle of the road, causing a red flag.

© Hyundai Motorsport GmbH

7h40 – 👋 Meet at 8:12 a.m. for the start of SS7 (Shinshiro 2 – 17,41 km).

7h37 – 🔎 Here is the general classification at the end of SS6 after the passage of the first Rally2s. Thierry Neuville leaves the Top 10.

7h21 – 🏁 Second consecutive scratch for Ott Tänak who drives the nail in and widens the gap at the head of the Rally of Japan, ahead of Elfyn Evans! Thierry Neuville, still slow, is now 5'18 behind his rival in the championship…

ES6 – Ranking

7h20 – After Andreas Mikkelsen’s accident, it is now Grégoire Munster who closes the Rally1 ball. The Belgian concludes this 6th special stage with a delay of 16″3 on Ott Tänak.

7h16 – Local hero Takamoto Katsuta crosses the finish line 10'4 behind Ott Tänak. The Japanese rider is in 3rd place overall, 1'39 behind the leader.

7h12 – 🇫🇷 Adrien Fourmaux is still struggling with his Ford Puma: the Northerner is not on the pace of the best and finishes 15″3 behind Ott Tänak. "It's good, when you're 15 seconds off the pace, you've done a good special. You can't do more with this car. I find it nice, the feeling is good but the time is bad."

7h08 – 🇫🇷 Like Elfyn Evans, Sébastien Ogier is unable to maintain Ott Tänak's pace: the Frenchman loses 3″9 on this SS6.

7h04 – Elfyn Evans finishes this 6th special and concedes another 6″7 to Ott Tänak. He is now 20″4 behind the Estonian in the general standings.

7h00 – ⏱️ Ott Tänak clocked a blistering time of 12'00″1, 14 seconds faster than the time set by Sébastien Ogier on the first run! Behind, Elfyn Evans and Sébastien Ogier are late. "It's a lot drier and the conditions have improved a lot. We're trying to do our best. We'll see how it goes."

6h58 – 🇧🇪 A new special stage completed by Thierry Neuville and his Hyundai handicapped by an engine problem: the Belgian clocked 14'08″1 on this SS6, which is almost two minutes slower than this morning… "It was quite dark in the forest and without a light bar it's not easy but we can't go fast so it's ok. There's nothing we can do at the moment except finish the day and go back to the service to fix the car."

6h56 – ⚠️ Following the red flag in SS5, a fixed time of 18'32″3 (+29″1 compared to Ott Tänak's best time) was awarded to the drivers who were unable to compete in the special, the same time as Grégoire Munster, who set the last time on SS5.

6h53 – On the other hand, Ott Tänak's Hyundai is working perfectly and the Estonian is still on the attack. At the 3rd intermediate and after only six kilometers, he already has a 49″0 lead over Thierry Neuville.

6h50 – On the high-speed sections, Thierry Neuville’s Hyundai fails to exceed the 110 km/h mark…

6h47 – 🔎 This morning, it was Sébastien Ogier who set the best time on this special during the first pass, in 12'14″8.

6h44 – 🟢 After a slight delay, SS6 can finally start with the departure of the unfortunate Thierry Neuville, still slow.

6h40 – 🔎 Thierry Neuville was 6,37 seconds per kilometer slower than Ott Tanak on SS5. If he continues to lose time at the same pace, he will lose about 7 minutes over the entire afternoon loop…

6h36 – Obviously, if Ott Tänak keeps the lead until Saturday evening and if Thierry Neuville falls out of the Top 10, it would be a disaster scenario for the Belgian, who would then have to bet everything on Sunday alone (where he will have to score at least 6 points in the event of a perfect score for Ott Tänak) to secure the title.

6h33 – 💥📺 To keep you going, here is Andreas Mikkelsen's accident in replay. This is the Norwegian's second consecutive off-track exit after his crash in Central Europe…

6h30 – ⚠️ Following Andreas Mikkelsen's accident and the subsequent red flag on SS5, the start of SS6 is delayed.

6h14 – 👋 Meet at 6:32 a.m. for the start of SS6 (Inabu/Shitara 2 – 19,38 km).

6h11 – 🏁 So it's the end of this 5th special with the best time of Ott Tänak, who signed a great time and who took back the lead of the Rally of Japan in front of Elfyn Evans! Thierry Neuville, still handicapped by an engine problem, will have to finish this Friday day in slow motion! 

ES5 – Ranking

General ranking after ES5 

6h08 – 🔴 Sami Pajari is forced to stop in the special stage, blocked by Andreas Mikkelsen's Hyundai. The special stage is interrupted.

6h07 – Takamoto Katsuta finished this special with a delay of 18″4 on the reference time, still held by Ott Tänak.

6h06 – 💥 Andreas Mikkelsen has gone off the track! The crew is OK but the Hyundai is immobilized in the middle of the track! The Norwegian hit a tree head-on after hitting a dirt bank.

6h04 – 🇫🇷 Adrien Fourmaux, in difficulty this morning with his Ford Puma, finished this 5th special 21″6 behind Ott Tänak.

6h01 – 🇬🇧 Sébastien Ogier, ahead at the start of the special, finally finished 6″2 behind Ott Tänak at the finish. He logically passed Thierry Neuville in the general classification.

5h58 - A lot of time lost by Elfyn Evans in this SS5, who crosses the finish line 14″4 behind Ott Tänak! The Welshman loses the lead of the rally to Ott Tänak!

5h55 – ⏱️ Ott Tänak, who can go flat out, sets the first (real) reference time in 18'03″2! That’s 2’30 faster than Thierry Neuville… "It's tricky and it changes a lot, I can't find the feeling to attack. My goal this weekend was the Constructors' Championship, so [Neuville's situation] doesn't help me."

5h54 – 💬 Thierry Neuville: "We couldn't solve the problem, that's for sure. I have no idea [what's planned], we keep fighting like we always do, trying to limit the time losses. The hard work of the year is really valuable now, because these 25 points are really valuable now."

5h53 – 🇧🇪 Thierry Neuville painfully finishes this 5th special, entirely covered in slow motion, with a time of 20'34"0. Victim of an engine problem since SS4, the championship leader is having a hellish day...

5h51 – Elfyn Evans is 6 seconds behind Ott Tänak at the 1th intermediate, who should take back the lead of this Rally of Japan.

5h49 – For this second loop, Ott Tänak only took one spare wheel, compared to two for Elfyn Evans and Sébastien Ogier. The Estonian is riding with three soft tires.

5h47 – At the first intermediate, it is Sébastien Ogier who is in the lead with 0″6 ahead of Ott Tänak and 2″6 ahead of Elfyn Evans.

5h42 – Of course, Thierry Neuville's misfortunes give hope to Ott Tänak, who absolutely must have the perfect weekend if he wants to give himself every chance of winning the title. The Estonian is on the attack and at the second intermediate, he already has a 42-second lead over his rival.

5h40 – 🔎 During the first loop, it was Thierry Neuville who set the reference time on this special in 18'27″4. The Belgian will obviously be far from this mark at the finish of this SS5…

5h36 – In the tire change area, the Hyundai driver already seemed quite pessimistic for the rest of the day…

5h33 – ⚠️🇧🇪 Thierry Neuville is still idling, the engine problem is still there! It's going to be a long day for the championship leader!

5h32 – 🟢 Thierry Neuville sets off, here we go for SS5 of the Rally Japan! Has the Belgian managed to solve his engine problem?

5h29 – 🔎 Here is the starting order for this first day of rallying in Japan.

1) Neuville
2) Tanak
3) Evans
4) Ogier
5) Fourmaux
6) Katsuta
7) Munster
8) Mikkelsen
9) Pajari (WRC2)
10) Gryazin (WRC2)

5h26 – 🇫🇷 A “frustrating” morning for Sébastien Ogier, who suffered a puncture on SS2 and was already 2'03 behind the leader after this first loop of the day.

5h22 – 🔢 Speaking of Thierry Neuville, the championship leader needs to score at least six points this weekend to secure the title if Ott Tänak achieves a perfect score. If he finishes Saturday in 6th place, then he will only need to finish the rally to clinch the world crown. More information on the 2024 points system below.

New points scale on Sunday: how does it work?

5h20 – 🛠️ Thierry Neuville encountered an engine problem in SS4, forcing him to drive slowly at the end of the stage. The Belgian took advantage of the tire change zone to find and try to repair the problem… As a reminder, today, there will be no assistance before the end of the day.

5h18 – 🔎 Here is the general classification after the first four special stages of this Rally of Japan! 

5h17 – 🔎 You wanted to go to bed early to follow the specials early in the morning, and you missed the first three specials of the day? Don’t panic! Here is the summary of the night with already several adventures!

Technical problems for Neuville, Evans allows Toyota to put pressure on Hyundai

5h15 – 👋 Hello everyone ! Welcome to this live commentary to follow together the first day of the Rally of Japan, thirteenth and final round of the 2024 WRC season! The start of SS5 (Isegami's Tunnel 2 – 23,67 km) will be given in a few minutes, at 5:32!

© Nikos Katikis / DPPI

ALSO READ > Weekend TV Schedule – November 21-24

Dorian Grangier

A young journalist nostalgic for the motorsport of yesteryear. Raised on the exploits of Sébastien Loeb and Fernando Alonso.

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