Staring down the barrel of a 37-point deficit, one thing made Thierry Neuville’s eyes light up in this week. Two things, actually. The potential for two more rounds of the World Rally Championship.
While the WRC focus is very much on Rally Turkey, the talk is increasingly about Monza and Croatia and the chances for them to become round eight and nine of a truncated 2020 season.
Predictably, Neuville can’t get enough of that chatter. More rallies means more opportunity to bridge the gap to Toyota’s Sébastien Ogier and make it back towards the top of the table.
“I would be stupid if I said I would not agree on having one more round in the championship,” Neuville told DirtFish.
“It would increase my chances of winning the championship to more than what they are now, so of course, the championship calendar can still improve and we have more space for events so that’s hopefully the situation.”
Neuville, who has competed at the Monza Rally Show three times, admitted he was short on specific details of the events in question, but he said both could add something to the series.
“Monza itself can be a challenging event but as I understood, they might also add some stages in the mountains around Milan and other regions, so why not? It will be another new event for everybody but I just need to say yes.
“For Croatia, I have no idea about it to be honest. I heard a couple of months ago that they are able to do [an event that’s] all gravel or all Tarmac. Definitely my favorite would be a Tarmac event, but let’s see. I mean, it’s up to the promoter to do the work, but the more rallies they can get, the happier I am.”
A mistake at Rally Estonia last time out looks to have cost Neuville his place in the title race, but the electrical problem that forced him out of the lead battle on Rally México also cost him dearly.
“We need to make sure that we have a reversal of our bad luck,” he said. “I don’t hide the fact that in Mexico we had a fast car but it was the mechanical aspect of the car that let us down. We are 30 points behind, yes, but during the year, everyone is bound to have their backs to the wall. Also, we will need more rounds.”
