Ott Tanak says that he could nothing to recover his car when he arrived at one slippery point of Stage 17 and congratulates Thierry Neuville for becoming a WRC Champion.
The Estonian driver headed to Rally Japan with a 25-point disadvantage over his teammate Thierry Neuville, but he was leading this event compared to Neuville who dropped to outside the top ten at the end of Friday due to turbo issues. TN managed to gain some positions and finished in seventh place at the end of Saturday whereas Tanak was still first and secured the 18 points from that day's classification. Tanak's chances to fight for his second driver title came to an end in Stage 17 when he crashed 19.1Km into SS17 when he understeered into a ditch and roll his i20N. This meant that Neuville and Martijn Wydaeghe are the 2024 WRC Champions, but the most important thing is that Hyundai lost its 15-point lead over Toyota and the last one team became the 2024 Manufacturer Champion after Tanak's accident.
"It is difficult to describe what happened other than complete disaster", Tanak said.
"We weren’t expecting slippery conditions in the corner and as soon as we arrived, the front washed out.
"It was too far off the road to recover the car.
"While we are disappointed to end the season this way, we have to recognise what a great season this has been for Thierry.
"He has been very consistent, managing the pressure well, and he is a worthy champion".
Photo Credits: Hyundai
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