– Great drama in the Powerstage of the 2026 Croatia Rally! Thierry Neuville lost what was thought to be a certain first season victory for Hyundai in the final special stage. Before the final 14.56 kilometers, the former world champion had a lead of 1:15.4 minutes over Takamoto Katsuta (Toyota).
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But Neuville made a mistake in a right-hand corner right at the start of the stage. He went too far wide on the left side, slid down the embankment and landed on a small path. He had to turn around, but in doing so, he damaged the right front suspension.
There were stunned faces in the Hyundai pit. Neuville limped at a slow pace towards the finish, but the 37-year-old didn’t even make it that far. He received instructions over the radio to park the car. It was not to be for Hyundai’s first season victory.
Neuville and co-driver Martijn Wydaeghe tried to make makeshift repairs to the right front suspension at the side of the road. They succeeded. They finally rolled across the finish line 21 minutes behind.
Thus, Katsuta achieved his second WRC victory in a row. When he reached the finish of the Powerstage, he didn’t yet know what had happened regarding Neuville. Only when the first information about Neuville’s crash filtered through did he learn that he had won.
Toyota celebrated a double victory in the final kilometers. At the same time, second place was the best result of Sami Pajari’s WRC career. The Finn could have also won the rally. He led the overall standings from the third to the 13th stage.
Because he had to change a wheel in SS14 after a puncture, Pajari’s maiden victory slipped away. “It’s always nice to be on the podium,” says the 24-year-old. “On the other hand, I’m disappointed because we could have won here.”
Hayden Paddon (Hyundai) returned to the podium in third place. No more Rally1 cars were represented in the top field at the end. The Toyota duo Oliver Solberg and Elfyn Evans lost any chance of victory as early as Friday morning due to accidents.
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This changed the picture in the World Championship standings. Katsuta now leads with 81 points. Evans has dropped to second place and is seven points behind. “A tough weekend for us,” says the Welshman. “We have to try to come back stronger at the next rally.”
Solberg is now third in the World Championship and is 13 points behind. “I made a mistake with the hard tires on Friday,” Solberg takes the blame for the accident in SS1. On Saturday and Sunday, he set a total of ten fastest times.
“After that, our pace was good and the car was perfect. I’m really sorry for my team. Now I’m looking forward and taking the positives from this weekend.” Solberg and Evans took the top two places in both the Sunday standings and the Powerstage.
Neuville’s late retirement meant that the 2024 world champion did not collect any World Championship points at all in Croatia. In the manufacturers’ standings, Toyota already has a 65-point lead over Hyundai after four rallies.
From fourth place onwards in Croatia, the Rally2 field followed. Frenchman Yohan Rossel secured the first victory for the new Lancia Ypsilon Rally2 HF Integrale. In doing so, he ushered in a new WRC chapter for the legendary rally brand.
The WRC Masters Cup classification was won by Austrian Johannes Keferböck (Toyota Rally2). His co-driver was the experienced Ilka Minor, also from Austria.
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The next round of the World Rally Championship will take place from April 23 to 26 on the Canary Islands. The Rally Spain will also be held on asphalt.
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