Thierry Neuville has already come to terms with the disappointment of dropping out of the battle for victory on the Prime Yalta Rally by admitting finishing first on home soil on the next round of the series
in Ypres would mean far more to him.
Belgian Neuville, the Tour de Corse winner, was leading in Ukraine until he suffered a high-speed spin on a patch of water on Friday’s third stage and ended up beached by the side of the road for more than two minutes. His frustration was compounded when he punctured two stages later.
“Yalta was a very tricky rally with really bumpy roads”, said the Team Peugeot Belgium-Luxembourg driver. “We were very strong all weekend and set some very good stage times. Also the car
was very good so a big thank you to the team. But victory in Yalta wasn’t the most important thing. To win in Ypres would be better. It will be a big, big battle with [six-time winner] Freddy [Loix] but I will do everything to beat him.”
The Geko Ypres Rally takes place from 23-25 June. It counts as round five of the 12-event Intercontinental Rally Challenge season.