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Wales Rally GB: Neuville aims to maintain podium run

Thierry Neuville is targeting a fourth straight rostrum result as he looks to claim second place in the WRC drivers' championship from Andreas Mikkelsen at Wales Rally GB.

The Hyundai Motorsport driver moved level on points with Mikkelsen thanks to his third place in the last round in Spain, coupled with his rival's retirement, to set-up a straight two-round sprint for the runner-up spot behind champion Sebastien Ogier.

Mikkelsen currently heads Neuville on countback of second place finishes, with the pair also tied on one WRC win each in 2016, and the Belgian driver is hoping to maintain his podium run into a fourth straight event.

"Wales Rally GB is a very fast and exciting rally, especially with the narrow roads that go through the forest. It can, of course, be quite slippery as well," Neuville said. "This is particularly an issue on the second pass when driving on wet gravel. It can make it very interesting.

"It's a nice event and one we all enjoy a lot. To be competitive, you need to find a good rhythm early on, so that will be our first objective. We want to be challenging again for the podium - and to keep up our positive run of results."

Neuville's best WRC result at Wales Rally GB came in 2013 for Qatar WRT Ford when he went on to clinch the runner-up spot to record his best finish to a WRC campaign.

Zdroj: crash.net