Neuville finally sees his big dream come true. After five second and three third places, our compatriot is on the highest podium. When his only competitor, the Estonian Ott Tänak, made a mistake and crashed, the spoils were won. Although the race had not yet been completed, the title could no longer escape him due to the points advantage. Neuville was in seventh heaven when his opponent’s statement came to his ears. He promptly fell into the arms of his co-pilot Martijn Wydaeghe. “To be honest, this came as a surprise. I don’t really know what to say at this moment,” Neuville responded after he managed to make his way into the history books of motorsport.
READ ALSO. New world champion Thierry Neuville can hardly believe that it has finally happened: “To be honest, this came as a surprise”
Superfan Whitey De Gruyter (61) can’t believe his luck either. When we call him, he has just returned home after a crazy evening in Sportkaffee Eleven, Neuville’s supporters’ café in Langemark, West Flanders. “I’m not feeling good about it yet. This morning we were all shaking. The euphoria was so great. I don’t quite realize it yet. We have always wanted this and suddenly it worked. It’s incredible,” says a very happy man.
The joy in Thierry Neuville’s supporters café was great. — © rr
Just after midnight, the West Flemish man who had emigrated to Bornem received a call with the news that his competitor had to stop the fight after a crash. “The first thing I asked: ‘Is the crew OK?’ That’s the most important thing. The competition then becomes a side issue for a moment. Looking back, we are of course very pleased with this windfall.”
But: “Thierry also forced this luck,” Whitey emphasizes. “He has become much more mature and calmer. He used to drive around a lot more boisterously. If he made a mistake, he took too many risks to correct the situation. As a result, he always missed the big fish. But age and experience have softened him somewhat. His co-pilot Martijn Wydaeghe also plays a major role in this. One that is all too often underestimated,” says the Bornem resident. “Martijn, who is a West Flemish through and through, even went to the speech therapist for a while to learn French.”
Roller-coaster
“It was a rollercoaster of emotions,” Whitey continues, still clearly shaken by the spectacular victory. “If you see what bad luck he had at first, at one point he was in fifteenth place in the rankings, the world title was gone. And yet he just pulled it off. Really congratulations.”
According to the rally fanatic, we should rate this performance highly. “This world title makes Neuville one of the greatest in the sport,” he said.
“Since last night we have already received five hundred follow requests for our fan page on Facebook, and applications continue to flow in. It’s too crazy for words”
Whitey De Gruyter
Fan Thierry Neuville
“On December 21, we will throw a big party in our classroom to properly celebrate the title. If we get Thierry and Martijn here, that would be fantastic. Those men know us well. They have already visited our supporters café several times. When they see us at a rally, they always raise their hands,” he says proudly.
But the feeling is double. “Now the question arises: ‘What will Thierry do next year?’ From now on he will drive around with number 1, but for how long?” Whitey thinks. “He still has a contract for at least one year, but what after that? He is 36 years old, and he has a family with two children…”
Life’s work
Since 2018, he has been co-manager of the Facebook group ‘Supporters Thierry Neuville & Martijn Wydaeghe’ with his good friend Steve Carrein (42), which now has almost 12,000 members. “Since last night we have already received five hundred follow requests, and applications continue to flow in. It’s too crazy for words,” says Whitey, still in disbelief.
The Facebook page has a special meaning for the West Flemish. “A few years ago my wife unfortunately passed away. I cut myself off from everything and everyone, but the supporter group has given some meaning to my life again. It is my great passion, a kind of life’s work,” says Whitey, who is active in daily life as a maintenance man at the Bornemse Petting Zoo Barelhoeve. “During every rally we dutifully post all results, split times, background news,… Just about everything that has to do with Thierry.”
Whitey next to the newly crowned world champion Thierry Neuville. — © rr
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