Onto Saturday’s action then and once again the crews had eight stages with a slightly reduced quantity of 116 kilometres action. Oliver and Elliott plus Elfyn and Scott returned to the action and would be the first two crews into the stages.
First up then was SS9 Platak 1 and it was a stage win for Oliver who was fastest by over seven seconds from Elfyn, whilst rally leader and the final driver through the stage Sami was third fastest. Meanwhile Jon and Shane continued to show good pace with the fifth best time which was only 1.4 seconds behind Thierry and Martijn.
Onwards then to SS10 Ravna Gora – Skrad 1 and once again Oliver was fastest, this time from Takamoto with Elfyn third. Takamoto’s pace took him back into second overall which was positive. There was some drama for Josh and Eoin who suddenly had smoke coming into the main part of their car cabin. They stopped and Josh pulled out the fire extinguisher to deal with the smoke and flames in the car. They lost about four minutes dealing with this but did at least finish the stage.
Next up the third stage of the day, SS11 Generalski Stol – Zdihovo 1 and Oliver showed again his pace going fastest from Jon by just one tenth of a second and Elfyn was third. Takamoto lost second overall after only setting the ninth fastest time and Thierry who was fifth quickest passed the Japanese driver and moved into second overall, now fifteen seconds away from the leader who was Sami.
The final stage of the morning then, SS12 Pećurkovo Brdo – Mrežnički Novaki 1 before the tyre fitting zone and Oliver completed a clean sweep of stage wins from Takamoto and Elfyn, whilst Jon again showed good pace to set the fourth best time. Thierry maintained second overall now just a little over ten seconds behind Sami.
The afternoon stages began with SS13 Pećurkovo Brdo – Mrežnički Novaki 2 and because it was run so close to the previous run, there was no time for the crews safety teams to drive through and provide information and stage note updates to their drivers. There were punctures for Oliver and also Josh. Takamoto went fastest from Elfyn and Jon and the Japanese driver edged a little closer to Thierry, although the gap remained just over eight seconds.
Next up then was SS14 Generalski Stol – Zdihovo 2 and once again Oliver set the pace this time from Elfyn, whilst Thierry was third. There were some more crews that suffered punctures and this drama included the rally leaders Sami and Marko who had to stop to change a tyre. Also having the same problem was Hayden, Oliver, Josh and Takamoto. The result of all of this was Thierry now led the rally from Takamoto and Sami now was third. A huge shame for the young Finns who clearly showed his speed and consistency this weekend.
Two stages remained to be run on Saturday and first up was SS15 Ravna Gora – Skrad 2. Oliver was fastest from Elfyn and Jon with only just over two seconds separating the three of them. Thierry continued to lead the rally by over a minute from Takamoto with Sami a further thirty seconds back.
Onto the final stage then of the day, SS16 Platak 2 and Elfyn set the pace in this one by just under two seconds from Jon whilst Takamoto was third. Oliver’s run of fastest times came to an end as he suffered a puncture.
Let’s take a look at the top ten and hear from the drivers after Saturday’s stages.
Classification after Day Two
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Hyundai Motorsport
Thierry Neuville
“After a difficult run recently, I have been looking forward to just having a good feeling in the car for a while, but now being back on the pace and leading the rally is great. Being in the lead after all our collective efforts over the last year feels really special, and it’s important for the team that we bring home this victory. I think it will be difficult – we’ll be last on the road too and I don’t think we have enough pace to be fastest, especially on tomorrow’s stages. They should be cleaner, so we just need to secure first place and bring it home.”
14 Round, Croatia Rally
10-12 April 2026
Photographer: Helena El Mokni
Wordwide copyright: Hyundai Motorsport GmbH
Hayden Paddon
“It was an afternoon of survival out there today, particularly on SS14 where it was pretty hard to avoid punctures, as many people – including ourselves – found out. We’re in a position where we just have to bring the car home, but after seeing Adrien parked up, it certainly changed the situation a little bit. It was stressful to make sure we made no mistakes and didn’t pick up anymore punctures. We’re within the threshold of our team-mates which is what we wanted, and we’ve made improvements on our pace. That’s now a secondary goal as we want to bring these points home, and fingers crossed we can do that tomorrow.”
Adrien Fourmaux
“In the corner before our accident there was a small crest, and I didn’t see that the tarmac was disappearing and drove straight into the gravel. I couldn’t brake, so came out of the corner in the opposite way we wanted to. On the outside, there was a concrete pole, and we just clipped the wheel. It wasn’t too close, but it was enough for us to hit it, and we lost the rear wheel and damaged the bodywork. It’s been a big fight since yesterday as we focused on regaining ground we had lost, and it was working okay until then. Tomorrow we’ll try to get some Super Sunday and Power Stage points, like our other competitors that had to retire.”
Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT
Takamoto Katsuta
“Today I was trying to push in sections where I felt confident and comfortable, and in others where there could be more surprises, I was backing off quite a bit because I didn’t want to take risks. I think we were managing it quite well, until the long stage on the second pass, when there were so many sharp rocks and stones on the road, so the puncture risk was high. It’s a pity because I was being patient and trying to avoid these things. Still, we are P2, so it could have been worse. We are still on for some good points, so tomorrow I just need to be clever.”
Sami Pajari
“It was all going really well again today. Everything felt quite comfortable and under control, so I’m pretty gutted about what happened. Clearly it was a really demanding stage and it was not only us who suffered. It was a slow puncture, so I saw the alarm before I really felt it, but we were so early in the stage that there was no option but to stop and change it. After that we just needed to reach the end of the day. It’s hard to find positives but at least we are still in a podium position and let’s see what we can fight for tomorrow.”
Elfyn Evans
“It’s been good to be back out there today, and we tried to learn what we could. The stages were very varied, and I think tomorrow’s stages will be very different again in character, so it hasn’t been easy to use today to prepare for tomorrow. There was so much cutting and a high risk of punctures today, whereas tomorrow should be a lot more clean. We’ll be trying to score as many points as we can and let’s see what’s possible.”
Oliver Solberg
“It’s been a positive day for us, getting back out on the stages and just trying to drive well and learn more on dry asphalt with this car and with the tyres. I did have a couple of slow punctures in the afternoon, but we won all the other stages, so it’s been a good day overall. I’m feeling confident about tomorrow: we will have the perfect starting position, and the speed today has been very good. The stages will be very fast and quite demanding, but let’s see how we do.”
Sunday
Onto the final day of the rally and the crews faced just over 57 kilometres over four stages to finish the event. Oliver would open the road and Adrien also returned to the action. Which crew would the fastest over these four stages and take the Sunday points?
Onto the action then with SS17 Bribir – Novi Vinodolski 1 and Oliver made the best start setting the fastest time from Elfyn with Adrien setting the third best time. Best of the M-Sport runners was Jon who was fourth fastest. Rally leaders Thierry and Martijn were eighth fastest and in a good position to take victory for the Hyundai team.
Next up was SS18 Alan – Senj 1 and Oliver was once again the pacesetter from Elfyn, just two seconds back from his Swedish teammate and Jon was third in the stage and seven tenths faster than Hayden. Thierry continued to hold the lead just ticking off the stages one at a time now with a lead of over a minute.
Onto the penultimate stage then, SS19 Bribir – Novi Vinodolski 2 and Oliver maintained his stage winning pace setting a time 2.1 seconds faster than Elfyn, with Jon third. The top overall positions remained the same with Thierry holding the lead by well over a minute from Takamoto, Sami still in third and Hayden in fourth.
The final stage then, SS20 Alan – Senj 2 and Oliver was once again the pacesetter from Elfyn, Jon, Sami and Takamoto. All eyes were on Thierry and Martijn though to take victory for the Hyundai squad. There was a sting though which was a big surprise for them as on a right-hander the car stepped out at the rear and although Thierry caught the slide, the car was off the line and then clipped a piece of road furniture slightly hidden in the grass verge with the front right-hand side, damaging the wheel and suspension. The car was down a side road adjacent to the main road and facing the wrong way. Once he got the car turned around and back onto the stage, but the possibility of victory had gone. He was told to retire the car by the team because of the huge damage and that was that sadly. All of this meant that Takamoto and Aaron took their second victory, Sami and Marko took second and Hayden and John took third place.
Let’s take a look at the final finishing positions and hear from the drivers.
Croatia Rally Final Classification
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Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT
Takamoto Katsuta
“To win for the second rally in a row is quite amazing. It was a big surprise how it happened, and I felt sorry for Thierry and Martijn and the Hyundai team, because I know myself how painful these moments can be. Still, I need to be happy for my team and for Aaron, because I think we did quite a clever job this weekend. It was a crazy one right until the end with so many things happening. It’s nice to be leading the championship now, but I’m not going to think about it too much: I will just stay focused on myself and on doing the best that I can.”
Sami Pajari
“It’s always nice to finish on the podium and, after three third places, to now finish second for the first time is something I have to be happy about. I’m also happy to see Taka and Aaron take another win. Naturally, there is still some disappointment because we were in the lead of the rally for so long, but this just gives more hunger for the next rally, and I’m looking forward to that one. The last few rallies have been really positive and promising for us, and I hope that something even better is coming soon.”
Elfyn Evans
“It hasn’t been an ideal weekend for us after we got caught out on Friday morning. At least we were able to take some points today, but Oliver was quicker so we can’t be entirely satisfied with that. He drove well so well done to him, and to Taka and Sami for their one-two finish. For us it’s been a tough weekend, but sometimes these things happen, and we will focus on bouncing back stronger on the next event.”
Oliver Solberg
“It’s a bit of a bittersweet feeling at the end of the rally. After my mistake on Friday, the feeling in the car and the pace that we’ve had has been fantastic, and we took all the points that we could today. I’m sorry to the team that we couldn’t get the overall result to go with it, but we know that we have the performance. I just have to learn from what happened, look forward and take the positives from this rally into the next one.”
Yuki Yamamoto (Driver WRC Challenge Program GEN2)
“It was good to be back behind the wheel this weekend. It was a tricky rally, but I think we can be happy with the pace we had. On Friday we were trying different setups and tyres and trying to stay out of trouble, but we could be sixth in Rally2. Saturday also started really well but in SS11 the road was much dirtier than expected, and we were just caught out by some loose gravel and clipped a rock on the outside. Restarting on Sunday, we showed good pace again and it was also good learning for the cleaner style of stages we can expect on Rally Islas Canarias.”
Hyundai Motorsport
Hayden Paddon
“It’s definitely bittersweet for us. Firstly, I was gutted for the team and Thierry because I know how much work everyone has been putting in, and for that they really deserve the victory. It’s a surprise to be on the podium, it wasn’t ever our expectation. We stuck to our plan this weekend, and despite what I said at the start of the weekend, it was one of those rallies that you just had to survive. At this level you have to be on the limit so much, and when you’re on the limit that’s when mistakes happen – punctures and everything else we’ve seen this weekend. It’s hard to comprehend that we’re even back on a WRC podium eight and ten years later, but it’s been quite some journey.”
14 Round, Croatia Rally
10-12 April 2026
Photographer: Helena El Mokni
Wordwide copyright: Hyundai Motorsport GmbH
Adrien Fourmaux
“About two kilometres before the end of the Power Stage we got a puncture – it was right in the middle of the tyre, so I don’t know exactly what caused it. It was the outside wheel on a left-hand corner, so it was probably some loose rocks that we did not see, that’s it. We could have scored two extra points, but we didn’t. I’m very frustrated with what happened yesterday, that’s the main thing, and I’m very sorry to the team and for Thierry. Croatia is always a tricky one; the grip levels vary so much that it’s unpredictable, but I think that’s why it deserves to be in the championship.”
Thierry Neuville
“First of all, I would like to express my apologies to the whole team – everybody who works with me throughout the whole year. It’s a huge disappointment for Martijn and myself, we didn’t expect that but unfortunately the rally can strike even at the very last stage. We were driving according to plan, and our target was just to get through the stage, but unfortunately, we were surprised on that corner. I probably turned in a bit too early, and my first reaction was to open, and then the incident happened. It’s going to be a tough period for us, but we have no choice but to come back stronger and keep fighting. We won’t give up and our time will come again.”
M-Sport Ford WRT
Jon Armstrong
“I’m really happy with the pace we showed this weekend. It’s been a strong and consistent performance, and it’s great to come away with P3 on the power stage and pick up some valuable extra points.
“We’re continuing to learn a lot about the car in these conditions, which will be important heading into Gran Canaria. There’s still more to come from us, but it’s a solid step forward and we’ll keep pushing to build on this momentum.”
Josh McErlean
“Croatia was a really demanding rally and, overall, it’s been quite a dramatic weekend for us. There are definitely positives to take though, our tarmac pace has improved and I’m starting to feel more comfortable and confident in the car on this surface. Of course, we still want to put a full clean rally together, but the speed is coming which is encouraging. Now the focus is on resetting, learning from this weekend, and carrying that progress into Canaries.”
Romet Jürgenson
“From a performance point of view, the rally was really decent, I have to say. Already on Friday we showed good speed with two stage wins, and on Saturday when everything clicked we were consistently inside the top three, fighting with the front guys.
It’s a shame about the punctures, obviously we would have liked to avoid them—but sometimes the luck just isn’t there, and this time it wasn’t. Overall, the season has been difficult in terms of fortune, but at least now we’ve shown that we belong at this level.
The car development has also brought us much closer to the top crews, and we’re clearly in that group now, which is really positive. Now we move on to the Canaries!”
Mille Johansson
“For us it didn’t start very well with two punctures on the first two stages. And with only one spare wheel we had to retire. Restarted again on Saturday and the feeling in the car got better for every stage in these challenging conditions. Sunday was a positive day comparing to the front runners where we got a lot closer on the times.”
2026 FIA World Rally Championship for Drivers’ Standings
After Round Four
| 1 | T. Katsuta | 81 |
| 2 | E. Evans | 74 |
| 3 | O. Solberg | 68 |
| 4 | S. Pajari | 52 |
| 5 | A. Foumaux | 49 |
| 6 | S. Ogier | 26 |
| 7 | T. Neuville | 25 |
| 8 | E. Lappi | 21 |
| 9 | Y. Rossel | 18 |
| 10 | L. Rossel | 18 |
2026 FIA World Rally Championship for Manufacturers’ Standings
After Round Four
| 1 | Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Team | 208 |
| 2 | Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team | 131 |
| 3 | Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Team 2 | 55 |
| 4 | M-Sport Ford World Rally Team | 51 |
Summary
What a crazy rally this turned out to be. It had punctures, driver errors and a totally surprising end result.
For Takamoto and Aaron to take their second win is a remarkable result. They didn’t set any fastest times but kept out of trouble setting a good enough pace to be there when Sami and Thierry had their problems.
Sami and Marko were gutted when they had their tyre failure on Saturday, especially given that they’d led a rally for the first time overnight. However, they were there to take second overall and another podium as well.
The returning Hayden and John were another crew who kept themselves out of trouble. They took what they’d learnt in Monte-Carlo at the beginning of the year and delivered a well-deserved third place finish.
Okay, next up in the championship will be the Rally Islas Canaries held over the 23 to 26 of April.
