Neuville the high-flyer at Colin’s Crest

Thierry Neuville won this year’s Colin’s Crest Award for recording the longest jump over the famous blind crest on Rally Sweden.

Neuville, 24, took top honours after launching his Fiesta RS into a 35-metre flight from the crest, which formed part of Saturday’s Sagen stage.

The Belgian, who drives for the Qatar World Rally Team went on to finish Rally Sweden fifth overall, taking his career best result from a winter rally.

“It’s a good feeling to take some silverware from only my second time at Rally Sweden!” said a delighted Neuville. “I didn’t take it [the crest] flat-out, but the car jumped very high and it was a nice moment for me.

“The car was perfect and we managed to up the pace throughout the weekend, so it was nice to be able to reward the team in this small way,” he added.

Neuville’s team-mate Juho Hanninen was his closest rival, with a 34-metre jump in an identical car. Henning Solberg was third, with a jump of 33 metres in another Ford.

The award was first made in 2008 to commemorate the spectacular driving style of 1995 world champion, Colin McRae. American driver Ken Block still holds the outright record after a jump of 37 metres in 2011.

Here are this year’s top-10 jumpers

1. Thierry Neuville: 35m 

2. Juho Hänninen: 34m

3. Henning Solberg: 33m

4. Evgeny Novikov: 33m

5. Pontus Tideman: 32m
6. Daniel Sordo: 30m
7. Mikko Hirvonen: 29m

8. Mads Östberg: 28m

9. Eyvind Brynilsen: 27m

10. Sebastien Ogier: 27m