WRC star Thierry Neuville makes successful historic circuit racing debut
World Rally Championship driver Thierry Neuville took victory on his historic circuit racing debut at the Imola Classic. The 2024 WRC champion swapped rally machinery for a Ford Escort RS1600 and his own BMW M3 E30, competing in the Heritage Touring Car Cup category at the Le Mans Classic Series event at the Emilia-Romagna circuit. The field also included the likes of former British Touring ...…
Thierry Neuville, a star of the World Rally Championship, achieved a successful debut in historic circuit racing at the Imola Classic event. The Belgian driver, who has been competing in the WRC for the past 15 years, swapped his rally car for a Ford Escort RS1600 and a BMW M3 E30 to compete in the Heritage Touring Car Cup category at the Le Mans Classic Series. Neuville's team, LifeLive Motorsport, also included former British Touring Car Championship champions Jake Hill, Steve Soper, and Rob Huff.
Neuville and his co-driver Raphael de Borman shared the Escort, winning the first 1972-1981 class race in the first one-hour race and securing pole position and second place in the second race. Neuville's BMW M3 E30 had to retire after a technical issue in the second race. In an Instagram post, Neuville expressed his excitement about the beautiful track at Imola and the experience of fine-tuning the cars' settings.
Despite a serious penalty, the Belgian and his team member managed to secure a victory in the first race and retire in the second due to technical problems.
Having expressed his desire to reduce his WRC commitments next year, Neuville hopes to participate in future Le Mans Classic Series events in 2027.
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