Rising star Thierry Neuville says the increased number of gravel events on the Intercontinental Rally Challenge calendar in 2012 will help him improve as a driver.
Neuville has yet to finalise his IRC programme for next season but hopes to contest as many events as possible. The 2012 IRC schedule includes three all-gravel rallies in Azores, Romania and San Marino while the season-closing Cyprus Rally will feature a combination of asphalt and gravel stages.
“I have a good pace on asphalt but on gravel maybe the pace is there but it’s not the same confidence as on asphalt,” said Neuville, a winner of two IRC events in 2011 for Team Peugeot Belgium-Luxembourg. “I can be as fast on gravel as on asphalt but maybe it’s in a more dangerous way. I want to drive on gravel as often as possible so the extra gravel events in the IRC in 2012 can be good for me.”