Ott Tänak and Thierry Neuville consolidate the championship lead for Hyundai Motorsport
Round 11 of the 2024 FIA World Rally Championship saw our crews take on the final gravel event of the year on their only visit to Latin America. SS1 presented an immediate challenge, as it was cancelled after Ott Tänak and Thierry Neuville had already completed the stage. Nominal times were handed out to the rest of the competition and Tänak sat in provisional first place by the end of Friday’s running.
The Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Teams struggled to find a balance of grip and speed on day one. The undefeated winners of Rally Chile, Ott Tänak and Martin Järveoja, started the weekend strong in provisional first, but the relentless terrain of Chile punished our other crews.
Esapekka Lappi and Janne Ferm were back for their first event since Rally Finland, but tricky tyre choices halted their charge through the pack. Thierry Neuville and Martijn Wydaeghe, our current championship leaders, fought the South American stages for traction and momentum to end Friday without too much drama.
“I’m surprised to be leading the rally,” Tänak explained, “but we are taking the maximum out of it. We’re expecting more grip tomorrow thanks to a better road position.”
Saturday proved to be more promising. All three crews aimed to hit the ground running for the longest day of Rally Chile, but dramatic fog and rain had other ideas. Thankfully, the synergy between our drivers and co-drivers meant little time was lost during these tricky stages.
Amendments to the nominal times from Friday’s cancelled stage saw Tänak relegated to second overall, with a spin on SS9 dropping him to the final podium place. Despite only having hard tyres at his disposal, Tänak held onto provisional third for the rest of the day.
Neuville was metronomic on Saturday. After a rocky start to the event, he and Wydaeghe promoted themselves to fourth overall. SS11 saw the Belgian duo pick up their first stage win of the weekend and secure a favourable road position for the Super Sunday battle.
“I’m definitely pleased with today,” said Neuville, “We closed the gap to the podium so we can’t afford to make mistakes now.”
Lappi and Ferm had a minor slide on SS7, causing them to lose their front bumper. After an early check-in to SS11, the Finnish crew received a two-minute penalty and ended Saturday holding onto eighth place.
Lappi described his Saturday: “It’s a shame about the penalty. We had to use the soft tyres, so we decided to drive slowly to save them for Sunday. We will try to pick ourselves up for tomorrow.”
Day Three of Rally Chile Bio Bío did not ease off the pressure on our crews. Foggy and damp conditions plagued the final four stages of the weekend. With no service or tyre fitting between stages, car management was crucial.
With the Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid struggling to match the pace of others, our crews were focused on securing valuable points for the manufacturers’ championship. The Estonian crew of Tänak and Järveoja held onto third overall, thanks to two top-three stages and a fourth place in the Super Sunday standings. The pair secured their fifth podium of the 2024 season and their 21st with Hyundai Motorsport.
Championship leader Thierry Neuville aimed to strengthen his lead in the drivers’ championship. A top-three finish on SS15 and a fourth place on the Wolf Power Stage secured fourth overall. Neuville and his co-driver Wydaeghe leave Chile with 15 valuable championship points and have a 29-point advantage over their Estonian teammates.
Esapekka Lappi had a Sunday to forget. After an impressive fourth-fastest time on SS13, his second pass on SS15 saw him lose his front bumper and cause terminal damage to his Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid, prematurely ending his weekend.
This wouldn’twon’t have been the ending to Rally Chile that Lappi would have wanted, since his co-diver, Janne Ferm, announced his retirement after the event. Lappi and Ferm have celebrated four podiums together, including their memorable victory at Rally Sweden in February.
“I need to thank Janne for 15 seasons together.” said Lappi, “He’s the loudest laughter in the team. We will miss his jokes and sense of humour.”
Hyundai Motorsport President and Team Principal Cyril Abiteboul said: “This was a difficult rally for us and a complete contrast to Acropolis Rally earlier this month. We leave Chile with the gap we’d built in the manufacturers’ standings now halved. We hope to rebuild our advantage with a stronger car for the last two tarmac rallies.”
Speaking about Janne Ferm, Cyril Abiteboul offered his best wishes: “He is a character like no other and he will be dearly missed by everyone in the team.”
Next rally
The FIA WRC season will return in three weeks for the Central European Rally (October 17-20).
