Hyundai Motorsport has bold intentions for the World Rally Championship by confirming rising star Thierry Neuville as its lead driver starting from the 2014 season.

25-year-old Neuville, who is playing a key role in this year’s championship, has signed a multi-year agreement with Hyundai Motorsport.

“I am thrilled to announce Thierry Neuville as the lead driver to our new WRC team,” explained Hyundai Motorsport Team Principal, Michel Nandan. “Thierry is having a fantastic 2013 season and is proving himself to be one of the most exciting young drivers in WRC. His raw speed, driving skill and dynamic approach to rallying make him the ideal lead driver for Hyundai.

“By signing a driver of Thierry’s talent, we can show that Hyundai’s WRC engagement is serious and focussed on long-term success after signing with the talented young driver, Thierry. It is also great recognition for the work that the entire team has carried out in such a short time. We both share similar values and objectives to win the championship in the long-term so we are proud to have Thierry in the team and as an ambassador for the Hyundai Motorsport brand.”

Neuville, along with his co-driver Nicolas Gilsoul, will join Hyundai Motorsport behind the wheel of the new i20 WRC rally car in all 13 WRC events in 2014, beginning with the team’s debut at the Monte-Carlo Rally in January, signalling the start of the Belgian driver’s third consecutive WRC season.

Neuville’s experience will be invaluable to Hyundai Motorsport as the manufacturer begins its first fully-fledged championship WRC campaign with a team and car that have been developed from scratch, impressively in under a year. Neuville’s eye-catching performances this season have challenged the established competitors in WRC and have resulted in his reputation as one of the most exciting, young and dynamic drivers coming up through the WRC ranks.

“I am pleased to be joining Hyundai Motorsport for the 2014 World Rally Championship,” explained Thierry Neuville. “I believe Hyundai Motorsport is the perfect fit for me because it is a young, emerging and ambitious manufacturer team with long-term objectives for championship success and I have long held aspirations of driving for a manufacturer team. I wasimpressed with the team’s facility, their approach to the rally programme and their clear potential. I hope my two years of experience in WRC will be beneficial to the team as we build a harmonious working partnership. We know we have a steep learning curve ahead of us in our first season but I am convinced we will have a successful future together.”

In two competing seasons in the World Rally Championship, Neuville has contested a total of 32 rallies. He finished seventh in the 2012 championship, which acted as a prelude to a championship challenging 2013 season in which he has so far claimed four consecutive runner-up results (Italy, Finland, Germany and Australia), in addition to two third-place finishes (Mexico, Greece), leaving him second in the WRC standings with one rally left to run.

Hyundai's 2014 WRC i20 undergoes 'solid month of testing' in 'a range of conditions' Hyundai Motorsport continued to make strong progress on its development programme by conducting the first gravel tests with a new 2014-specification of the i20 WRC in July.All three of the team’s re

Hyundai Motorsport 'ready' to compete with experienced teams in 2014 World Rally Championship Hyundai Motorsport has unveiled its full team line-up at a special launch event in Frankfurt today, as the manufacturer gears up for its debut in the 2014 FIA World Rally Championship at Monte Carlo

New five-door Mini rolls off production line in Oxford.  Mini's plant in Oxford saw the production of the first new MINI five-door Hatch earlier this week.The new five-door is a first for Mini production at the Oxford plant and marks another phase in the ... 

Maserati show off largest ever collection of cars at Goodwood Festival of Speed.  Maserati showcased its largest ever collection of cars at Goodwood Festival of Speed over the weekend as part of the Italian brand’s 100 year celebrations.Maserati took over the Stable Yard at the G... 

Like many popular websites, Motortrades Insight uses some third party widgets that may set and may have already set cookies, for example the Twitter feed on our homepage. For more information see our cookie policy. By clicking close and continue you agree to our use of cookies.