World Rally Championship: Elfyn Evans wins in Japan as Thierry Neuville takes WRC title
Neuville, 36, leads Tänak by 25 points in the final rally of the 13-race series, so he only needs six points at the weekend to clinch the drivers’ title.
His hopes were dashed on Friday afternoon when a turbo problem dropped him and co-driver Martijn Wydaeghe to 15th.
They regained the lead before Tänak’s mistake on stage 17 handed his Hyundai team-mate a first win in 15 years.
Five times runner-up, Neuville waited 5,533 days for the world championship, the longest in WRC history.
“Honestly, I feel great. We’ve been working on this for a long time and we’re really happy. We always give it our all, but this year we’re rewarded for it,” Neuville said.
“I have nothing to say but I just want to thank everyone who has been involved and supported and us and the team.”
