Following a challenging Friday morning that left him in sixth position, Neuville’s patience has been rewarded. On Saturday morning, he battled Takamoto Katsuta for the second spot, but the Japanese driver suffered a puncture on the final stage of the loop, dropping a minute behind Neuville.
“We all know Taka, and he has always been like this. He attacks right from the first metre,” Neuville said.
“For me, it was more about getting through, getting a good feeling, finding the rhythm, and slowing down in some of the sections where the big rocks were. But in the end, I got through without any real trouble. We secured second place, so I can’t complain,” Neuville explained his strategy.
The over 36-kilometer-long Sleeping Warrior stage was a real test on Saturday morning, significantly separating the contenders. Rally leader Kalle Rovanperä extended his lead significantly.
“Challenging. I mean, there’s no other word. Definitely, the first two stages were dry but already very difficult, and a couple of things happened over there. And the Sleeping Warrior: we knew it would be the deciding stage of the rally, and it probably will hit some of us again this afternoon,” Neuville cautioned.
“Hopefully not us, but it’s a very challenging and tough stage with lots of stones everywhere, so anything can happen. We got through without any major issues. We just had no heartbeat for the whole stage, so not the greatest performance, but still, I was happy with my time.”
Neuville’s gap to the leading Rovanperä is nearly one and a half minutes, so there’s no need for him to push unnecessarily.
“It’s very often very local showers, and it depends on your road position whether you get through or not. So we don’t know what to expect. I think we have to prepare for rain. And then it will be just about surviving anyhow,” Neuville pondered.
