The time for the outcome has come! After 12 hotly contested rounds throughout this 2024 campaign, the WRC is preparing for its finale at Rally Japan. On the program? A lot at stake since Thierry Neuville has the opportunity to become world rally champion for the first time in his career, while Hyundai and Toyota compete for the Manufacturers' title.
Friday November 22
0h44 – ES3 : Inabu/Shitara 1 – 19,38 km : Sébastien Ogier
2h12 – ES4 : Shinshiro 1 – 17,41 km : Elfyn Evans
5h32 – ES5 : Isegami’s Tunnel 2 – 23,67 km
6h32 – ES6 : Inabu/Shitara 2 – 19,38 km
8:00 a.m. – SS7 : Shinshiro 2 – 17,41 km
10h35 – ES8 : Okazaki City 1 – 2,54 km
10h44 – ES9 : Okazaki City 2 – 2,54 km
WRC – Rally Japan
Follow SS5 live with commentary
5h42 – Obviously, the misfortunes of Thierry Neuville give hope to Ott Tänak, who absolutely must have a 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 when this SS5 arrives…
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, let's go for SS5 of the Rally of Japan! Has the Belgian managed to resolve his engine problem?
5h29 – ???? Here is the starting order for this first day of rallying in Japan.
1) Neuville
2) Thank you
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, victim of a puncture on SS2 and already relegated to 2'03 behind the leader after this first loop of the day.
5h22 – ???? Speaking of Thierry Neuville, the championship leader must score at least six points this weekend to secure the title if Ott Tänak achieves the perfect score. If he finishes Saturday in 6th place, then he will only have to finish the rally to win 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 special. The Belgian took advantage of the tire change area to find and try to repair the problem… As a reminder, today, there will be no assistance before the end of the day.
5:18 a.m. – ???? Here is the general classification at the end of the first four special stages of this Rally of Japan!
5:17 – ???? Did you want 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 several adventures already!
Technical concerns for Neuville, Evans allows Toyota to put pressure on Hyundai
5:15 a.m. – ???? Hello everyone ! Welcome to this live commentary to follow together the first day of Rally 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 a.m.!
© Nikos Katikis / DPPI
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