The afternoon loop of the second day of Forum8 Rally Japan is underway. Thierry Neuville is the latest driver to fall victim to the conditions.
Neuville Out
Thierry Neuville crashes out of Forum8 Rally Japan on the sixth stage of the event. Neuville sat second overall, 10.5 seconds behind Elfyn Evans heading into SS6. Unfortunately, just 100 meters into the stage Neuville overshot the first corner of the stage. Which caused him to hit a tree. As a result, Neuville was unable to restart the stage. Ending his day in the process.
Joining Two Others
Thierry Neuville is the third Rally1 driver to retire from the second day of Forum8 Rally Japan. As both Adrien Fourmaux and Dani Sordo retired on SS2 earlier today. Both Fourmaux and Sordo crashed out in the same spot on the stage. Hopefully, all three drivers will be able to restart the rally for day three.
Unfavorable Conditions
The second day of Forum8 Rally Japan has had some very unfavorable conditions throughout the day. As heavy rain forced the cancellation of SS4. Add that to fog on some stages and visibility is low. “I couldn’t see anything. I have done a lot of rallies in my life but I have never been scared as much as this morning.” Said Neuville after SS3. There are some questions to be raised about the safety of the stages. As on tight narrow stages like the ones in Japan, it leaves little room for error. Luckily there aren’t many places that go alongside a cliff edge. As that could end badly if an accident were to happen. Nevertheless, the rally will continue despite the conditions. It remains to be seen if more stages will get cancelled due to weather.
One Hyundai Driver Left
Only one Hyundai driver has the chance to win Forum8 Rally Japan. With Neuville and Sordo out, Esapekka Lappi is the sole Hyundai driver. Luckily manufacturer points don’t matter for Hyundai. As the manufacturers’ championship was won at Rally Chile BioBio. However, the Korean team was hoping to upset Toyota again this season by winning on home soil for Toyota like last season.