Thierry Neuville starts this week’s Rally Chile Bio Bío (26 – 29 September) with a mathematical chance of securing his maiden FIA World Rally Championship title. But it will take a perfect weekend – and a little help from his rivals – to clinch the crown with two rounds to spare.
The sweeping gravel roads of Chile’s Bio Bío region host the country’s third-ever WRC round, based around the city of Concepción. And, with the season entering its final quarter, every point is crucial.
Neuville’s commanding performance at EKO Acropolis Rally Greece, where he led Hyundai Motorsport to a historic 1-2-3 finish, has put him 34 points ahead of his team-mate and the only driver to have won in Chile, Ott Tänak.
Toyota GAZOO Racing’s Sébastien Ogier and Elfyn Evans also remain in the hunt, but for Neuville to clinch the title here in Chile, he would need a near-perfect result alongside poor finishes from his closest challengers.
“We are going to push through the weekend without trouble and score as many points as possible,” said Neuville. “Our main target is to keep a good lead in the championship. The last three rounds are going to be about managing the gap and Chile is an important event for that. We need to come away with good points before going to the Tarmac rounds [in Central Europe and Japan] where we know we can do well.
Neuville finished second in Chile last year and is looking forward to the roads which sit in wait this week. “Rally Chile,” he added, “is similar to some of the other gravel events we have faced this season, but the stages can vary a lot. We were able to really enjoy the drive last year and finish on the podium to make our weekend even better.”
While the battle for the title takes centre stage at round 11, the sport’s future is also making waves as young talents Sami Pajari and Mārtiņš Sesks prepare to stake their claim among rallying’s elite.
Pajari (22), replacing the rested Takamoto Katsuta at Toyota, takes on his second outing in a GR Yaris Rally1 HYBRID. Latvia’s Sesks (25) returns in a non-hybrid M-Sport Ford Puma Rally1 following impressive stage-winning performances in Poland and Latvia.
The pair are two of rallying’s brightest young talents and both are eager to prove they belong at the top level. Their presence in Chile reflects the rise of a new generation, much like Kalle Rovanperä — WRC’s youngest-ever champion — who is also competing here as part of his part-time campaign with Toyota.
After alternating outings with Dani Sordo and Andreas Mikkelsen, Esapekka Lappi returns to the Hyundai line-up for the fifth time this season. Meanwhile, Adrien Fourmaux and Grégoire Munster will both handle Puma Rally1 HYBRIDs for M-Sport.
The rally begins on Thursday (26 September) and spans 16 stages covering 306.76km before concluding on Sunday afternoon.