Toyota Snatches World Rally Championship Win After Hyundai Crashes Out

This is how all forms of racing should be decided—coming down to the wire in the last hour of the last day. That’s exactly what happened in Japan last weekend when Toyota World Rally Championship driver Elfyn Evans came from behind to snatch victory in his Yaris WRC and win Rally Japan and the manufacturer’s championship by just three points.

But that win only became possible after rally leader Hyundai driver Ott Tänak crashed out spectacularly earlier on in the day to give Toyota a 1-2 shot at the podium while also handing his Hyundai teammate Thierry Neuville his first driver’s championship.

Toyota wins final Power Stage to clinch the win

Toyota had come into Rally Japan as underdogs trailing Hyundai by 15 points in the manufacturers’ title. But by the final stage of the last day, the Power Stage, Toyota and Hyundai were tied. Evans performed well in that last stage, but it was his teammate Sebastien Ogier who ultimately set the fastest time in that last stage for the full five bonus points to clinch the victory for Toyota with Evans third quickest his Japanese teammate Takamoto Katsuta in fourth.

This victory gave Toyota the manufacturers’ championship, its fourth straight win. But it was an uphill battle through the rally’s four days of competition as Toyota had started with only a slim chance of winning. In the morning stage, both Ogier and Katsuta had suffered tire trouble and lost precious time in a stage notorious for a haunted tunnel. Those issues had swung the manufacturers’ title battle in Hyundai’s direction. But then, when Hyundai driver Tänak lost control and ended up in the scenery, he dramatically turned the tables in Toyota’s direction, which they seized in one of the most nail-biting finishes in WRC history.

While Toyota was busy coming from behind to take the win, Hyundai’s Neuville was himself struggling with the ups and downs of rallying when drama struck during his pursuit of a maiden world driver’s title. An unexpected loss of power on Day Two caused by a turbo failure on Neuville’s i20 N swung the championship battle back towards team-mate Tänak.

Due to the fact that Friday’s stage loops only included a tire fitting zone, Neuville was unable to resolve the problem and as a result, he lost more than seven minutes. The Belgian driver only needed six points in Rally Japan to win the driver’s championship, but had fallen to 15th place. With his car fixed, Neuville drove like a man possessed as he made up time, finishing in the top five for the last day’s stages. And then his teammate Tänak crashed out giving Neuville a clean path to the driver’s title, and Toyota a virtual straight run at the manufacturer’s championship.

MORE FROM FORBES

ForbesNew Toyota Century Brand Sits Above Lexus But Sold Through Lexus DealersBy Peter Lyon