At home with Thierry Neuville

June 10, 2020 0 Comments

Before rolling his Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC during a test in Finland, Thierry Neuville’s recent movements had been restricted to fitness workouts on his balcony and taking his dog for a walk – such are the hardships of living in Monaco during a global pandemic lockdown!

The Belgian, who celebrates his 32nd birthday next Tuesday (16 June) lies third in the FIA World Rally Championship drivers’ standings, and is keen to get back to his Rally Monte Carlo winning ways.

The next WRC round might not be until Rally Turkey (24-27 September) – by which time we should know if there are still 2020 WRC titles to fight for.

In the meantime, Neuville and co-driver Nicolas Gilsoul – who both emerged from the test wreck unharmed – will contest the non-championship Rally DirtFish in Estonia (7-9 August).

In this great interview, Neuville let’s us know what he’s been up to over the lockdown months of no rally action.

Thierry, let’s start with the recent test in Finland. What happened? “It was really enjoyable to be back behind the wheel, and getting back that special feeling of driving a WRC car. Those first rallies of the season seem so long ago, it was wonderful to get the adrenaline flowing again in Finland. It didn’t end in the way we wanted, as we hit a rock in a cut during the afternoon, which resulted in the car rolling quite a few times.”

Were you both OK? “Thankfully, we were OK but it was too complicated to repair the car so we had to stop the test early. The team is back to business after the lockdown period, and we know that we will be ready to resume testing at some point in the near future. We’ve remained in close contact with the team over these past months, and we know that everyone is eager to get back to championship action. It was nice to feel that spirit again, even if we had to cut things short.”

You’ve been keeping busy with another type of driving recently, too? “Yes, in fact I have been helping my brother with our company in Belgium. This situation has not been easy for small companies like ours, and we were busy trying to predict the future and be prepared. We were recently able to hold a three-day event at a karting track in the south of France where we had several groups of people renting our cross karts. I also did some driving, but it was really just a bit of fun with my family.”

How is the situation in Monaco nowadays? “We are pretty much back to normal here; restaurants are now open, though social distancing and restrictions remain in place. Now, we’re still trying to avoid places with a lot of people, as we don’t feel the need to go to them but it’s nice to be able to have the opportunity to eat out.”

How have you been staying active? “In March, all the gyms closed and we could only walk the dog twice a day. As I didn’t have a proper gym set-up, I was having to use my terrace to do some exercise to keep myself fit. For the past few weeks we’ve been able to train outside again.”

Did you attempt to learn any new skills? “I briefly considered getting cooking lessons from my girlfriend as I’m very bad at cooking, but I aborted that idea very quickly when I realised there was no pleasure in it for me and no willingness to improve!”

Do you have a final message for WRC fans? “We have had to accept this situation and do what we can to resolve it as quickly as possible. The simplest thing to do is respect the rules and find the best management for ourselves, because we all have different needs. A lot of people have faced issues, especially those who are running their own businesses and have people working for them, but I always think where there’s a problem, there is also a solution.”

Thierry Neuville wears a Stilo WRC DES Zero 8860 helmet, Alpinestars gloves and Alpinestars racing suit.