On the Saturday evening of this year’s Safari Rally Kenya, all looked lost for Hyundai.

World Rally Championship points leader Thierry Neuville had shipped 10 minutes with a fuel system fault, Ott Tänak had already retired on Friday after striking a rock, and Esapekka Lappi’s transmission had lunched itself. Its cars were fifth, 10th and 15th while Toyota led the way with a 1-2.

But on Sunday the tables turned rapidly: while Kalle Rovanperä and Takamoto Katsuta took it easy to preserve their 1-2 finish, Neuville and Tänak racked up a perfect score of 22 points by blitzing the Toyota trio on the final day, ensuring Hyundai lost only four points in the manufacturers’ title race.

A weekend that looked like a cataclysmic disaster had suddenly been transformed into a minor blip, at least in the teams’ championship. And Neuville even outscored his primary title rival Elfyn Evans in the process.