Leader Neuville has to give up in rally Ypres

In the penultimate stage of the day, things went wrong for the Walloon world champion. He slid off the road in a bend in Wijtschate and ended up in the canal. As the duo escaped unscathed and spectators quickly straightened the car, the drivers tried to continue their race. It soon became apparent that the front of the car was too badly damaged. Neuville topped the standings after the first day and kept his lead all Saturday until the incident.

Overhead

Earlier in the day, Irishman Craig Breen and his co-pilot Paul Nagle were released unscathed after their car veered off the bend, tumbled into the ditch and flipped over. Both managed to climb out of the vehicle, which was upside down next to the road. The dry grass in front of the car caught fire, but bystanders extinguished it with watering cans and the crew also used a fire extinguisher. The match was stopped. The Irish team saw a possible good finish go up in smoke.

The Estonian Tänak takes first place after two days, followed by the Brit Evans and the Finn Lappi. The last four stages of the Ypres heat are on the program on Sunday.