Neuville wins thrilling Rally Poland

02 July 2017 05:54

Belgium's Thierry Neuville secured a thrilling World Rally Championship victory in Mikolajki, northern Poland.

The 29-year-old Hyundai i20 driver claimed his third win of the season in torrential rain after race leader Ott Tanak crashed out three stages from the finish.

Neuville, who finished well over a minute ahead of second-placed team-mate Hayden Paddon, has closed to within 11 points of championship leader Sebastien Ogier, who was third, with five rounds remaining.

"Ott drove a great rally," Neuville told the WRC's official website. " In such a fight nobody gives up.

"I wasn't ready to give up and was prepared to win. I was sorry for him and congratulate him on the job he did before he crashed."

The four-day rally was full of drama, with the lead changing 10 times over 23 stages as Neuville and Estonia's Tanak battled it out.

Neuville entered the final day with a slender 3.1-second advantage over Tanak, who regained the lead with a brilliant opening speed test only to crash his Ford Fiesta into a tree in the next stage.

Neuville finished one minute 23.9 seconds ahead of Paddon, with Ogier a further 56.9sec behind. Spain's Dani Sordo was fourth, with Finnish debutant Teemu Suninen fifth.

The WRC moves on to Jyvaskyla for the Neste Rally Finland for the next round from July 27 to 30.

Source: PA