When Thierry Neuville had dragged his automobile out of a drainage ditch on Central European Rally, it appeared a knife-edge second that would have despatched the future of this 12 months’s World Rally Championship drivers’ title in both course had been settled.
Neuville dropped out of the lead battle however he may merely drive to the end, accumulate a wholesome factors haul and head to Japan figuring out he had a cushty lead – which given the turbo issues which might strike on the season finale, ended up being essential.
That’s the way it appeared from the skin, anyway. However as certainly one of Hyundai’s mechanics found when Neuville rolled into the Karpfham tire-fitting zone, all was not nicely on the underside of the i20 N Rally1.
We’re solely studying this now for good motive – it was saved on Hyundai’s chopping room ground till at present. However in its new finish of season documentary, By no means Simply Win: The Making of a World Rally Champion, there are some new snippets in amongst a behind-the-scenes have a look at how Neuville clinched his maiden world title.
Anthony Barth, Neuville’s primary mechanic, recalled the second they abruptly realized that with out a correct noon service, Hyundai needed to improvise to maintain Neuville within the rally. And funnily sufficient, they copied a trick beforehand deployed by Toyota rival Elfyn Evans.
