Maurício Neves’ passion for motorsport goes all the way back to his childhood. The Brazilian from Curitiba converted his early passion into a profession and after completing his education as a technician started working in motorsport. For over 20 years he has been active in racing car design and in Formula 3000 worked for the Draco and Durango teams, among others. In parallel, he started his own career in motorsport which, after initial steps in kart racing, soon took him to the rally tracks of his native Brazil.
 
The 40-year-old who also has the Italian citizenship has been regularly celebrating class and overall victories in the Brazilian Cross-Country Rally Championship. In the 2007 season he won the most important off-road competition in his country, the Rally dos Sertões.
 
In summer 2009 Volkswagen gave him his first chance at the wheel of the Race Touareg. As a factory driver, he occupied sixth place at the Rally dos Sertões and will compete for the first time in the Dakar Rally in January 2010. His compatriot Clécico Maestrelli will be the new co-driver reading the roadbook to Neves who is also a family man and father of two children.