© AFP
Thierry Neuville and Martijn Wydaeghe (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) had a rather difficult morning during the first loop of the Rally of Central Europe. There was some improvement on Friday afternoon and the duo won a stage. At the end of the day they are second in the rankings.
It was typical Belgian weather in the Czech Republic and Thierry Neuville had a hard time with it on Friday morning, including a foggy window that did not improve visibility. “It was indeed a challenging morning, a challenging day overall,” Neuville said. “The conditions were not good for us and each time we lost some time compared to Kalle Rovanperä. We also had to clean up his mud a bit. But we kept fighting and did what we could with the setup. At the end of the day we are second and that is not bad all in all.”
And so Neuville is satisfied. “To be honest, a different adjustment would not have changed the position. We might have been a little closer to Kalle, but that’s it. The car was set up too stiff, the roads were too dirty and there were too many posts in the cords. We expected cleaner roads.”
Rides will be held in Austria and Germany on Saturday. Neuville won his first rally in Germany in 2014. “Compared to then, it is a completely different rally now. Everything is new. Hopefully conditions will be more stable tomorrow. Tonight we are working on the car’s adjustment so that tomorrow will be better.”