WRC – Neuville hopes to find the right set-up

Thierry Neuville was not to be on the trip to New Zealand but Nasser Al-Attiyah left his place to the young Belgian, the Qatari being retained by his registration for the London Olympics. The Citroën Junior Team driver will therefore be able to gain experience in this event which he will discover this week. Although he will struggle to keep pace with the drivers at the front who will know the course better, Neuville hopes to be able to fight for the top ten after entering the points in these last three rallies. The rainy conditions which could disrupt the event would also be an advantage for him.

“The most important thing when you arrive will be to quickly find the right settings for this new surface”, indicated Thierry Neuville on wrc. Com. “With only two free practice runs preceding the qualifying special, it will certainly not be easy to beat myself against the other drivers who have already competed in the event several times. But the objective will obviously remain to collect as much experience as possible. My co-driver Nicolas (Gilsoul) and I are not going to change our preparation. The conditions, particularly rain, will also play an important role. But I wouldn't be bothered by the rain if it were there because it would reduce the sweeping handicap. Looking at the videos, the grip level and surface should be similar to what we had in Mexico. »