Ogier takes WRC Croatia Rally win after drama for Neuville, Evans

Sébastien Ogier has claimed the Croatia Rally win after jumping from third to first overall on a dramatic final day.

After three days of neck and neck competition on spectator-packed asphalt roads around capital city Zagreb, victory looked set to be decided between Neuville, driving a Hyundai i20 N, and Welshman Evans in a Toyota GR Yaris. However, as they headed into the second stage of this final day separated by just 2.6sec, the tables suddenly turned.

A late pace note meant overnight leader Neuville arrived too fast into a left-hander and slid wide before riding up a bank and into a tree. The impact destroyed his Hyundai’s rear aerodynamics package but, more importantly, cost him almost 25sec.

Unaware of his rival’s problem, Evans misjudged a tightening right-hand bend in the very same stage and spun, dropping 20sec as he tried to get his car pointing in the right direction. It meant that Ogier, who had occupied third place since the opening stage on Friday morning, suddenly gained a 9.1sec lead with two stages remaining.

Ogier celebrates milestone 100th WRC podium

Unlike his peers, Ogier would make no such errors and kept Toyota team-mate Evans at bay – celebrating his second Croatia Rally triumph by 9.7sec along with a milestone 100th WRC podium.

“It’s been a tough weekend,” admitted Ogier, who was co-driven by Vincent Landais. “We knew coming here that our start position would be an issue, but we never gave up and kept the pressure on for the whole weekend. I don’t think I’ve ever had so many moments in one rally, but it’s nice to get the win for the team.”

Toyota’s 1-2 result extended the Japanese marque’s lead in the manufacturers’ championship to seven points over Hyundai. But all was not lost for Neuville, who nursed his battered car to the end 36.1sec behind Evans in third.

The 18 points Neuville earned by leading on Saturday evening helped to retain his drivers’ series lead, and he heads Evans by six points after round four of 13.

Neuville disappointed

“It is what it is,” Neuville reflected. “We had a great few days, but unfortunately today didn’t go so well. At the end we’re taking important points so it’s not so bad. We would have liked to push harder in the Power Stage but these cars without a rear wing are undriveable.”

Ott Tänak had a high-speed scare in SS18 when his Hyundai mounted a grass embankment, but the Estonian recovered quickly to secure a fourth-place finish. He initially faced pressure from M-Sport Ford hotshot Adrien Fourmaux before the Frenchman plummeted down the order after damaging his Puma’s steering, hitting an anti-cut marker on the same test that caught out Neuville and Evans.

Takamoto Katsuta claimed the maximum seven points available for being the fastest driver across Super Sunday, climbing to fifth in his Toyota after Fourmaux’s troubles. Andreas Mikkelsen and Grégoire Munster were sixth and seventh while Rally2 runners Nikolay Gryazin, Yohan Rossel and Sami Pajari completed the top 10.

WRC turns to gravel next month for Rally de Portugal. Round five of the season is based in Matosinhos and takes place from 9 – 12 May.

In the meantime, don’t miss any news, videos or updates from the world of rallying via our social media channels:
– Facebook
– X / Twitter
– Instagram

#	Drivers	Car	Time / Diff. to 1st
1.	Ogier / Landais	Toyota GR Yaris Rally1	2:40:23.6
2.	Evans / Martin	Toyota GR Yaris Rally1	+9.7
3.	Neuville / Wydaeghe	Hyundai i20 N Rally1	+45.8
4.	Tänak / Järveoja	Hyundai i20 N Rally1	+58.6
5.	Katsuta / Johnston	Toyota GR Yaris Rally1	+1:55.5
6.	Mikkelsen / Eriksen	Hyundai i20 N Rally1	+4:01.0
7.	Munster / Louka	Ford Puma Rally1	+5:11.0
8.	Gryazin / Aleksandrov	Citroën C3 Rally2	+9:21.3
9.	Rossel / Dunand	Citroën C3 Rally2	+9:59.5
10.	Pajari / Mälkönen	Toyota GR Yaris Rally2	+10:22.7

#	Driver	Points
1.	Thierry Neuville	86
2.	Elfyn Evans	80 (-6)
3.	Adrien Fourmaux	59 (-27)
4.	Ott Tänak	53 (-33)
5.	Sébastien Ogier	45 (-41)
6.	Takamoto Katsuta	45 (-41)
7.	Kalle Rovanperä	31 (-55)
8.	Esapekka Lappi	23 (-63)
9.	Andreas Mikkelsen	14 (-72)
10.	Oliver Solberg	12 (-74)

#	Manufacturer	Points
1.	Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT	176
2.	Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT	169 (-7)
3.	M-Sport Ford WRT	96 (-80)

Photo, text: Red Bull Content Pool