Twenty-four hours later, after coming together with Timmy Hansen in heat one, Veiby benefitted from a tangle between Kristoffersson and Kevin Hansen in heat two to climb to third in the Ranking. Another semi-final success – again, with some assistance from his team-mate – subsequently secured him pole position for the final.
From there, the KMS - HORSE Powertrain star had his sights set on stealing second in the overall standings from the younger Hansen brother, but a stall at the start scuppered his chances and restricted him to a sixth-place finish. Still, Veiby left Türkiye as the weekend’s highest scorer – and with plenty of cause for encouragement moving forward.
“We did Rally Legend a couple of weeks beforehand, which was driving fully sideways, but on this track, you can’t really do that so I had to leave that at home and focus on being neat and tidy,” he reflected. “It seems like it worked out!
“We took a gamble at the start of Sunday’s final – it was a bit do-or-die – because third in the championship was assured, but I knew I probably needed to win to take second place. That didn’t pay off, but in general, I think the season was a step-up compared to last year. I have become more consistent in my performances and lap times, so I must be satisfied.”
Japan
Poland
Turkey