The Belgian ran large at a medium-speed proper hander in stage 11 (10.13km) and clipped a rock with the rear of his I20 N, which despatched the automobile off the street and into the timber lining the street.
Neuville and co-driver Martijn Wydaeghe emerged from the incident unscathed however the injury to the automobile was too extreme to proceed.
Neuville had began the day with a 5.7-second lead over Toyota’s Elfyn Evans, which he prolonged to 10.8s previous to stage 11, the one model new check at this 12 months’s occasion.
The Hyundai driver wasn’t the one driver to hit hassle within the stage as WRC2 runner Oliver Solberg was fortunate to recuperate from an enormous spin behind the wheel of his Toksport Skoda Fabia.
Neuville’s accident has handed the rally result in Evans, who now enjoys a 19.1s benefit over M-Sport’s Ott Tanak.
The only remaining Hyundai pushed Esapekka Lappi has inherited third, whereas M-Sport’s Pierre-Louis Loubet has jumped to fourth forward of Toyota’s Takamoto Katsuta.
Thierry Neuville, Hyundai World Rally Group
Photograph by: McKlein / Motorsport Images
Eight-time world champion Sebastien Ogier occupied sixth regardless of receiving a one minute penalty for a security belt infringement, which occurred after he was pressured to alter a wheel throughout stage 2 on Friday.
World champion Kalle Rovanpera is the final of the Rally1 runners in seventh, 2.6s behind Ogier.
Rovanpera’s rally hopes have been severely dented on Friday when he additionally suffered a flat tyre after hitting the identical pot gap that Ogier struck in stage 2. He misplaced greater than two minutes within the course of.
The Finn nevertheless has began Saturday on the entrance foot by profitable the opening three levels of the morning loop to shut in on Ogier.
Ogier and Rovanpera are the one Toyota drivers registered to attain producer factors this weekend in a transfer of solidarity with Hyundai, following the Korean marque’s choice to discipline solely two vehicles following the dying of its third driver Craig Breen.
Crews will face 5 extra levels to finish Saturday’s motion.