Neuville chases glory in Croatia as Safari Rally dust settles

As the 2024 WRC Safari Rally recedes and attention turns to WRC Croatia next week, Belgian driver Thierry Neuville will yet again be the man in the spotlight as he continues his chase for the elusive World Rally Championship (WRC) title.

Neuville continued to amass points in the last three rounds held in Monte Carlo, Sweden and Kenya, where he finished a distant fifth in a race won by Finnish sensation Kalle Rovanpera in a Toyota Yaris GR Hybrid R1, followed by his Welsh teammate Elfyn Evans.

A good result in Croatia and a repeat of the performance in the Super Sunday he achieved in Kenya is all he needs to consolidate his championship lead in the first quarter of the championship, which is still wide open.

He has so far collected 67 points, followed by Evans (61), Adrien Fourmaux in a Ford Puma Hybrid R1 (46) and his Hyundai teammate and the 2019 world champion, Ott Tanak of Estonia (41).

Evans is heading to Croatia with a psychological advantage as the defending champion, while Toyota, with 131 points, is being chased furiously by Hyundai with 127 points in the constructors' standings.

M-Sport lies third with 72 points.

Neuville heads to Croatia with bitter-sweet memories of Kenya, where he appeared well-prepared to take on the opposition after winning the Kasarani Super Special Stage and was lying second behind Rovanpera until an oil leakage cost him 10 minutes on the second day. He spent two days moving up the ladder with mixed results. His consistency and superior form finally paid off on Super Sunday when he scored 11 out of 12 championship points in contention, including a sweet victory in the Hells Gate World Power Stage, where he scored five points.

The WRC has adopted a new points-scoring system whereby championship points are awarded daily. So the best is assured a maximum of 18 points by Saturday, heading to Sunday, where one can collect seven points from setting the fastest stage times and five extra for winning the Wolf Power Stage for 30 points for the first position in the WRC.

One must be consistent and aim for the best results in stage times throughout the rally.

This system introduced by the FIA World Motor Sport Council (WMSC) has been criticised and praised in equal measure but appears to have increased the level of competition throughout the rallies, unlike in the past when there was complacency on Sunday, except the Wolf Power stage.

Neuville won 11 points on Sunday in Kenya to widen his championship points to six over Evans from the three he carried to Kenya.

The Belgian wants to increase his tally to a more comfortable level as the season heads to the mid-stage in July, assuming others fail to catch up. But it is still very early into the season.

This compensates for the woes suffered on day two of the Safari while running second behind Rovanpera until a fuel-related issue in his i20 N Rally1 Hybrid cost him 10 minutes.

He also thinks the new points-scoring system based on daily results leaves drivers, even those who do not perform well in the initial stages, a fighting chance on Sunday while chasing 12 points.

“Taking more points (in the championship) is something good – we have a bigger lead than when we arrived in Kenya. From that side, it’s good. But, for sure, we could have done better," Neuville said.

“Unfortunately, we got hit by some problems but despite this, we kept fighting. On Sunday, there was the opportunity to take loads of points – we scored 11 out of 12, so we’re satisfied to be the second best performer today. We would have loved to get more, especially after three consecutive difficult years here in Kenya."

Neuville has been unlucky in Kenya. He was destined for a good result in 2021 before his car broke on the final day. He was disqualified last year for visiting the Soysambu stages after the route had been closed after recce.

“There is still room for improvement but we have managed to increase the lead in the championship and got a good road position for Croatia. On to the next one.”

Croatia will be held from Wednesday next week, and the service park will be around the capital, Zagreb.

This will be a break from the rough and challenging Kenyan roads where drivers will sample asphalt stages ranging from super-smooth and badly broken surfaces, crests and jumps.

The first edition was a thriller, with Sébastien Ogier snatching victory from Toyota teammate Evans when the Welshman slid onto the grass at the final corner. The 0.6sec winning margin was the third-closest WRC finish ever. The 2022 edition was another close affair when Rovanperä edged Ott Tänak by just 4.3sec.

Finally, as Kenyans continue to take stock of the WRC Safari Rally 2024 edition, attention should shift to the Kenya National Rally Championship (KNRC), which must be salvaged if motorsport is to thrive in Kenya, and that means the government coming up with a financial rescue package and the return of corporate sponsorship.