Tag: i20 WRC

Categories
Hyundai WRC

Hyundai ready for WRC return

Hyundai i20 WRC

Hyundai will make its return to the WRC next week, although strictly speaking, the Hyundai Shell World Rally Team will make its debut. Team leader Thierry Neuville will be joined by Dani Sordo as the pair cross their fingers and hope for the best when the i20 WRC fires up and the action starts.

Neuville understands he’s about to head into the great unknown with his new car. “Our aim is to finish the event and get some good experience and mileage to further develop the Hyundai i20 WRC,” the young Belgian said.

“We carried out some good testing ahead of the rally where we drove the car in very different weather conditions. Although it is very difficult to recreate the exact same conditions we will find on the event and to test everything, we will give it absolutely everything.”

Team Principal, Michel Nandan, is also circumspect ahead of his team’s first outing. “This rally has been the first major target in our development schedule and finally we’re there,” Nandan said. “It’s a hugely significant and special moment for us all.

“We all know that Thierry can achieve outstanding performance levels despite his young age, while Dani has a lot of experience in WRC and at Rallye Monte-Carlo. I can definitely say that we have a very good mix!

“We have not set any results targets because our first priority is to finish the rally with both cars, to learn as much as possible and to use that as a base to improve for the following events.”

Continue reading “Hyundai ready for WRC return”
Categories
Hyundai WRC

Hyundai Motorsport launches i20 WRC car

Hyundai i20 WRC

Hyundai Motorsport has launched its i20 WRC and with it comes a title sponsor and full driver line up for the 2014 season. Officially known as the Hyundai Shell World Rally Team the outfit will be lead by rising Belgian star and runner-up in the 2013 WRC season Thierry Neuville.

The team will run two cars over the course of 2014 and the second i20 WRC will be shared among three drivers. Finnish driver Juho Hänninen will compete in the bulk of the rallies with Spanish driver Dani Sordo stepping in for Rallye Monte Carlo, while Chris Atkinson will race in his home event at Rally Australia. More opportunities for Sordo and Atkinson to compete next year are likely, but that’s all we have confirmed for now.

You’ll notice a large N on the bonnet of the i20 and the overalls of the crew. This is a new letter used to signify “high performance technologies” used in the WRC car. It pays homage to the company’s Namyang R&D Centre and will also soon be seen on Hyundai’s road cars.

Michel Nandan, Team Principal of Hyundai Motorsport, explains much work has already been done, but the team knows its biggest challenge awaits.

“In less than one year, we have built and tested a brand new WRC-specification car, the Hyundai i20 WRC, and established a professional team and modern motorsport facility,” Nandan said. “It’s a huge accomplishment but we know that we have a lot to learn in our first season.

“Our aims for 2014 are realistic: we want to finish each rally with both cars and build up a database of information and experience so we can develop ourselves into prospective rally winners in the future. If all goes well, we will hope to be competing for occasional podiums as the year progresses.”

More detail and photos from Hyundai Motorsport are all yours after the break.

Continue reading “Hyundai Motorsport launches i20 WRC car”
Categories
Hyundai WRC

Hyundai Motorsport names the date

Hyundai i20 WRC

We already know the emerging Thierry Neuville will be leading Hyundai’s WRC assault in 2014, but we don’t know who will be joining him or which sponsors will be plastered all over the i20 WRC. It would be nice to see Chris Atkinson land another full-time gig in top line rallying, but we’re not holding our breath. Although, if we did, we’d only have to wait until next Tuesday, 10 December, to find out all the answers.

Continue reading “Hyundai Motorsport names the date”
Categories
Hyundai WRC

Hyundai signs Thierry Neuville to lead WRC charge

Thierry Neuville

Hyundai Motorsport has confirmed one of WRC’s hottest rumours by announcing the signing of young Belgian ace Thierry Neuville and co-driver Nicolas Gilsoul.

The 25-year-old M-Sport driver is currently in a fight for second place in the world championship and will be going all out at Wales Rally GB in his Ford Fiesta WRC to hold off the challenge from Volkswagen’s Jari-Matti Latvala, who is 14 points behind with just one event to run.

But from next year Neuville will be showcasing his talents at the wheel of the all-new Hyundai i20 WRC. Described by Hyundai as a “multi-year deal” it’s believed Neuville has been secured on a three-year contract which is a great sign of Hyundai’s commitment to the WRC.

Hyundai Motorsport Team Principal, Michel Nandan, is pleased to get his man. “By signing a driver of Thierry’s talent, we can show that Hyundai’s WRC engagement is serious and focused on long-term success,” Nandan said.

“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.”

[Pic: M-Sport]

Continue reading “Hyundai signs Thierry Neuville to lead WRC charge”
Categories
Hyundai WRC

Hyundai steps up i20 WRC test program

Hyundai i20 WRC

Hyundai Motorsport had a busy October spending 15 days testing the i20 WRC on tarmac and gravel roads in Spain and Germany. Included in the itinerary were stages used in both Rally de Espana and Rally Deutschland.

With two prototype cars now in action Hyundai is able to speed up its development process.”This month was exceptionally busy for us,” explains Hyundai Motorsport Team Principal Michel Nandan. “We were out testing the i20 WRC on both surfaces for more than half of the month, with our three test drivers swapping the seat on four separate test sessions.

“We now have two latest-spec i20 WRC cars, which allows us to further intensify the development schedule by alternating between the two chassis. Overall, it was a positive month as we managed to test new parts, try different set-up solutions and cover some good mileage with the car.”

Hyundai has also lodged its paperwork to the FIA for homologation of the i20 WRC in readiness for the 2014 season.

It’s expected Belgian ace Thierry Neuville will switch from M-Sport to lead Hyundai’s charge next year. That would leave a fight between current Hyundai test drivers Juho Hänninen, Bryan Bouffier and Chris Atkinson in the chase for remaining seats.

Continue reading “Hyundai steps up i20 WRC test program”
Categories
Hyundai WRC

Hyundai i20 WRC testing reaches new heights

Hyundai i20 WRC

There’s just over 100 days until the start of the 2014 WRC season and Hyundai’s preparation of its i20 is getting serious. You can tell by the fact the car is now covered in fancy camouflage graphics. That’s serious business right there!

Equally, testing is serious business and after a short evaluation break following their previous test Hyundai has been busy testing the i20 at altitude.

“This car is similar in specification to the one we used in Finland in August, but it does feature a couple of new elements,” explained Hyundai Motorsport Team Principal Michel Nandan. “High altitude is one of the challenges we’ll have to overcome next year in the FIA World Rally Championship, especially in Mexico where the stages go up to 2,500 metres above sea level.

“The performance of the car can be affected under these conditions so the aim on this test was to study the engine behaviour and monitor the impact on the engine power. We also took the opportunity to keep on working on gravel set-up solutions and complete some good mileage with the car.”

Continue reading “Hyundai i20 WRC testing reaches new heights”
Categories
Hyundai WRC

Hyundai i20 WRC starts to hit its straps

Hyundai i20 WRC

It’s only a week since Chris Atkinson was officially announced as a test driver for the Hyundai WRC team and already he has plenty of development miles behind him. Atkinson and fellow development drivers, Juho Hänninen and Bryan Bouffier, have been gathering dust in the i20 WRC in preparation for Hyundai’s WRC assault in 2014.

Team boss, Michel Nandan, says he is happy with the team’s progress. “We have had a very solid month of testing and learned a lot about the performance potential of the new Hyundai i20 WRC in a range of conditions,” he explained.

“We have signed three very competent development drivers in Juho, Bryan and Chris, and the balance of the last month of testing has, for me, been positive.

“We have had a lot of work to do in a short space of time, but I can sense we are working well as a unified team. We have hit every target so far and I am proud of the entire team effort. We look forward to our next phase of development with optimism.”

Oh, as a sidenote, we haven’t forgotten that Sebastien Ogier won Rally Finland on the weekend, either, an update including several photos of the spectacular air time enjoyed by the drivers should be up soon.

Continue reading “Hyundai i20 WRC starts to hit its straps”
Categories
Hyundai WRC

Chris Atkinson joins Hyundai WRC program

Chris Atkinson

In promising news for Chris Atkinson’s on-again off-again WRC career he has been signed to Hyundai’s WRC program. At this stage it’s a test role only and he’ll be behind the wheel of an i20 WRC prototype later this week.

“It is great to be able to integrate Chris into Hyundai Motorsport testing line-up for this season and I am convinced he will bring a lot of valuable WRC experience,” Hyundai Motorsport Team Principal Michel Nandan said. “Chris will support the work of our main test drivers Juho and Bryan. With the combined expertise of all three test drivers, we will be able to benefit from thorough and comprehensive input at every test session.”

Atkinson revealed he was at Hyundai’s WRC headquarter a few weeks ago and hopes his experience will be of value to the team. “It is such an exciting project,” he said. “After visiting the Hyundai Motorsport factory three weeks ago, I am simply impressed by the team’s commitment and achievements so far.

“I have a lot of experience of many different WRC cars and events, and I will utilise this knowledge to support the development of the 2014 i20 WRC car.”