Neuville faces the pitfalls of the Rally of Japan: "The cold and the leaves make grip very complicated"

Thierry Neuville is close to the goal: with a 25-point lead at the top of the Drivers' Championship and one race remaining this season, the Belgian is very close to a first world title in WRC. During the Rally from Japan (November 21-24), the pilot Hyundai will only need to score six points to secure a first title against his teammate and rival Ott TänakWith the current points scale, a 6th place on Saturday evening and a guaranteed finish on Sunday would be enough for him to win the title.

“The goal at Rally Japan is to bring home the drivers’ title and support the team in the fight for the constructors’ championship, says Thierry Neuville ahead of the Japanese round. We've done a good job throughout the season already, but we'll obviously support those efforts if we can." 

No trials but experience for Neuville

However, the 36-year-old driver, with thirteen full seasons in the WRC under his belt, knows that nothing is decided until the end of the Rally Japan. An asphalt round that could prove very tricky due to the very autumnal – almost wintry – weather that awaits the crews next weekend. “The weather and the roads make all the difference in Japan, underlines the Belgian, winner of the event in 2022. It's very dirty when it's cold and the leaves on the road make grip very difficult. There are also some new stages, so it will be a very difficult event overall."

Thierry Neuville and Hyundai, who will arrive in "enemy territory" on the lands of Toyota, will have to rely on their experience from the two previous editions and the last asphalt rally in central Europe to perform in Japan, while the Rally1 teams were unable to carry out tests in the Land of the Rising Sun ahead of the rally. "As we did not test in Japan, all our information was taken from the Central Europe Rally, concludes the Belgian. We have a lot of feedback from previous years, so we can already plan the settings for the start before refining everything when we arrive in Japan."

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