Lucky escape for Peugeot’s Neuville in Zlín

Thierry Neuville has described his ‘lucky escape’ on Barum Czech Rally Zlín earlier today.

Neuville, at the wheel of a Team Peugeot Belgium-Luxembourg 207 Super 2000, was in sixth gear when he got out of shape on the sixth stage of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge counter.

He said: “We came over a crest but we couldn’t do anything because we had changed the car to be more stiff in service. The goes in the air on the rear. I tried to do everything but it was not possible. We were in sixth gear, flat out and went into the trees. We were really lucky. We had a little bit problem with the engine on this stage and the stage after.”

Asked about his lacklustre performance on Saturday morning in comparison to the speed he demonstrated when he won Tour de Corse-E.Leclerc back in May, Neuville said: “I don’t know the car on stages like this and I only drove here for three stages before in the rain. I don’t know what to do on the suspension. We try but sometimes it goes on the wrong way. Also the pacenotes were not very good.”

Neuville revealed that he opted for soft compound tyres for Saturday afternoon’s loop of four stages expecting that it would rain.