Ott Tanak has kept his hopes of a second World Rally Championship alive with a crucial victory at the Central Europe Rally.
The 37-year-old driver took his 21st career win to reduce the gap to teammate Thierry Neuville to 25 points heading into the final rally of the season.
Neuville finished third, 40 seconds behind Tanak to gain a spot on the podium and prevent his Estonian rival from closing further.
Elfyn Evans, third in the championship, finished second, just nine seconds behind the eventual rally winner with a steady performance.
Ott Tanak says Hyundai ‘improved a lot’
One of the big stories of the rally was Sebastian Ogier heavily crashing out, which saw him pick up no points from the event.
The result relegates him to fourth in the standings, ending his very slender hopes of a ninth title in spectacular fashion.
Speaking about the weekend, Tanak was pleased with the way his team developed and improved his Hyundai i20 N car.
READ MORE: Sebastien Ogier pinpoints what Toyota is lacking after losing WRC Central European Rally lead
“Well yeah, I mean tough tough weekend,” he said to Hyundai Motorsport on X (formerly known as Twitter).
“The team did a great job. No issues in the car and we would just push and actually in the end, I just felt quite nice in the car.
“I would say through the weekend, we improved a lot and it’s positive, so another push in Japan.”
Two-horse race for 2024 WRC championship
Tanak’s victory keeps the championship alive, but his chances are incredibly slim – demanding a Neuville retirement to stand any chance of the miracle.
Ogier’s retirement indicates that it is possible, but he was under extreme pressure to claw back a lead that he had lost earlier on under different circumstances.
The manufacturer’s crown is the most intense fight of all though, with a 15-point gap separating Hyundai from Toyota.
READ MORE: Andreas Mikkelsen makes ‘mind-blowing’ declaration after WRC return at Central European Rally
That means Neuville won’t be able to coast to the finish in Japan, because there are wider causes to fight for as well.
There will be some element of caution thrown into the wind, and it’s not expected to be a thrilling end to the year, but crazier things have happened in motorsport.