Hyundai to run three i20 WRC cars at Rally de Portugal

hyundai-wrc-fly

Fresh from scoring its maiden podium last month at Rally Mexico, the Hyundai Shell World Rally Team is gearing up for the fourth round of this year’s FIA World Rally Championship calendar, Rally de Portugal, which takes place this weekend.

As the championship returns to Europe following a detour to Central America, Hyundai Motorsport will now run three Hyundai i20 WRC cars for the first time in a WRC event with the aim of accelerating its steep learning curve in the series.

Thierry Neuville and co-driver Nicolas Gilsoul, who secured the podium spot in Mexico, will lead the three-car squad with the Hyundai i20 WRC #7, while Finnish duo Juho Hänninen and Tomi Tuominen will return to the wheel of the #8 car for the first time since Rally Sweden. Both crews will be eligible to score points for the Hyundai Motorsport entry.

They will be joined by Spaniard Dani Sordo and his co-driver Marc Martí who will be entered under the recently announced ‘Hyundai Motorsport N’ team, driving the Hyundai i20 WRC #20. The team will also participate with Sordo in the Fafe Rally Sprint this weekend, the spectacular appetiser to the rally, held in the Fafe-Lameirinha stage near Porto.

hyundai-wrc-tunnel

Based in the Algarve region in the south of the country, Rally de Portugal is considered the first traditional loose surface event of the season with its abrasive stages which combine fast and wide roads with more twisty, narrower sections and a frequent change of grip.

These conditions require accurate preparation to approach the event in the best possible shape. In order to achieve this, Neuville, Hänninen, Sordo and the team took part in two separate pre-event test sessions in the region.

Despite the significant boost in confidence to the entire team following the Mexican podium, the objectives for Rally Portugal remain the same as the previous three WRC events: to continue development of the Hyundai i20 WRC and to acquire more experience in the competitive WRC environment.

After three rounds (Monte Carlo, Sweden, Mexico), VW’s Sebastien Ogier leads the drivers’ standings ahead of teammate Jari-Matti Latvala. In the teams’ chart, defending champs VW lead Citroen 115 to 60.

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Danny Tan

Danny Tan loves driving as much as he loves a certain herbal meat soup, and sweet engine music as much as drum beats. He has been in the auto industry since 2006, previously filling the pages of two motoring magazines before joining this website. Enjoys detailing the experience more than the technical details.

 

Comments

  • Our Proton S2000 already win and retired from WRC scene and now slowpoke Hyundai just start involve?

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 5 Thumb down 17
    • Protonist on Apr 01, 2014 at 3:42 pm

      Your iPhone 3 was the phone of the year and you are going to throw it away . And now people start using iPhone 5S.

      So iPhone 3 better than iPhone 5S?

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 11 Thumb down 3
    • kzm (Member) on Apr 01, 2014 at 6:09 pm

      P1 do not compete in WRC but they do compete in S-WRC (now called WRC2) different class

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 12 Thumb down 0
    • Lindalum on Apr 01, 2014 at 10:37 pm

      Please dont PRETEND that you are SMART!!! Research and comment! Dont make people LAUGH!

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 6 Thumb down 0
  • kami (Member) on Apr 01, 2014 at 2:18 pm

    proton shud develop new satria and compete in rally.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 4 Thumb down 0
    • Proton-lover on Apr 01, 2014 at 6:50 pm

      Wait until they get the RM3bil first.

      Then after this cut that cut, only RM0.5bil will be allocated in new Satria R&D.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 4 Thumb down 2
  • roti canai (Member) on Apr 01, 2014 at 4:40 pm

    this is april fool’s joke rite

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 3 Thumb down 6
 

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