The 2024 FIA World Rally Championship continued with the Rally Croatia from 17th-21st April, 2024. In an unexpected turn of events on Sunday morning, Sébastien Ogier took the lead after Thierry Neuville and Elfyn Evans encountered difficulties in SS18.
Neuville and Evans had been locked in a fierce battle since the start of the rally on Friday. Heading into Sunday’s second stage at Zagorska Sela – Kumrovec, Neuville held a narrow 2.6-second advantage over Evans. However, both drivers experienced setbacks in the test, allowing Ogier to seize the lead with only two stages remaining.
Evans spun his Toyota GR Yaris on a tight right-hander, resulting in a loss of approximately 20 seconds as he tried to regain control. Meanwhile, Neuville ran wide on a left corner and collided with a tree, causing significant damage to the rear of his Hyundai i20 N. Despite the setback, Neuville managed to continue but dropped to third place after losing 23.3 seconds.
Ogier, who had been trailing the leaders by 11.6 seconds at the start of the final day, now enjoys a comfortable 9.1-second advantage over his teammate Evans. Reflecting on his incident, Neuville expressed regret, stating, “There were numerous corners, and the pace note came too late. It’s disappointing because everything was going so well.”
In addition, Adrien Fourmaux also suffered a setback in the same stage, falling off the leaderboard due to a broken steering arm.