Thierry Neuville signs up for the last rally of 2022 and Dani Sordo's Hyundai burns in the flames

The 2022 World Rally Championship is already history. The world championship has just ended this morning in Japan and it has done so with a double for Hyundai, which has won in the country of the rising sun thanks to a fantastic Thierry Neuville, who scores the second victory of the year but cannot be runner-up in the world.

The image of the weekend has starred Dani Sordo, whose Hyundai was devoured by flames during the first stage of the rally, last Friday. A spectacular breakdown that has caused Sordo's season to end in the worst possible way, almost without being able to savor the roads of Japan.

Takamoto Katsuta is the hero standing on the podium in his homeland

Neuville's victory was more difficult than it might seem due to the more than a minute difference he took from Ott Tänak. And it is that the Belgian had a very close rival until the last day, Elfyn Evans, but the Briton fell off the cliff in the early stages of this Sunday day.

Evans arrived on Sunday at a promising distance of 0.6 seconds from Neuville, practically nothing, but in the first stage he suffered a puncture in his Toyota that directly left him off the podium. Misfortune has befallen Evans until the last rally , and he leaves 2022 without a single victory.

This Evans drama allows Tänak to climb up to second, complete Hyundai's one-two finish and guarantee his runner-up finish in the world championship, frustrating any chances for Neuville. The Estonian says goodbye to Hyundai at least with this runner-up, although it is clear that his time at the Korean brand has not been exactly triumphant.

And it is that the heavyweights of Toyota have not had a pleasant rally. Both Sébastien Ogier and Kalle Rovanperä led in Japan , but both suffered punctures that kept them off the podium. In fact, the 2022 champion hasn't even finished in the points zone, while Ogier has been fourth.

The one who takes great joy is Takamoto Katsuta, who finishes in third position and achieves his second podium of the season. With a low profile, the Japanese driver has been a prophet in his land and ends the 2022 season in the top five overall, something that was difficult to predict before starting. Revelation.

For Ford, the season-long disaster extends to Japan. Only Gus Greensmith has been able to score, and he has done so in sixth position. Craig Breen suffered first an accident and then a puncture. By the way, for the most followers of Formula 1, Heikki Kovalainen has made his debut in Japan, and has added the last point with his Skoda . Tenth. Nothing bad.

Results Rally Japan 2022

WRC Overall Classification

1. Kalle ROVANPERÄ (Toyota-FIN), 255 points
2. Ott TÄNAK (Hyundai-EST), 205 points
3. Thierry NEUVILLE (Hyundai-BEL), 193 points
4. Elfyn EVANS (Toyota-GBR), 124 points
5. Takamoto KATSUTA (Toyota-JAP), 121 points