Ogier wins Guanajuato SSS

Volkswagen’s Sebastien Ogier has taken the early lead on Rally Mexico following the Guanajuatito Street Stage on Thursday evening.

Ogier completed the short 1.01km test, which was lined by over 50,000 fans and which requires drivers to negotiate winding alleyways and mine shafts of the silver-mining city – a UNESCO World Heritage Site, in 52.9 seconds. That put him 0.3 seconds up on Ott Tanak, who was a fantastic second in his Drive DMACK Ford Fiesta R5: “The real start is tomorrow,” Ogier told the official WRC site. “It is always slippery here and you have to be careful. No risk at all tonight.”

Andreas Mikkelsen was third in his VW Motorsport II Polo R WRC, followed by Citroen’s Kris Meeke and current championship leader, Jari-Matti Latvala. Thierry Neuville, Mads Ostberg, Mikko Hirvonen, Robert Kubica and Lorenzo Bertelli filled positions 6 through to 10.

Chris Atkinson’s debut event with Hyundai meanwhile got off to a poor start, with the Aussie’s i20 WRC stopping in the stage. He lost over 20 seconds: “I don’t know what happened. But we re-set the car and it started again,” he explained.

Rally Mexico now starts ‘proper’ on Friday, with ten stages on the bill covering a competitive distance of 148.62 kilometres.

SS2, the 9.88 km Los Mexicanos 1 test, is due to start at 08.32 hours local time [14.32 hours UK time, i.e. a 6 hour time difference].

Rally Mexico: Overall standings after Stage 1 (Top 10):

1. Sebastien Ogier Volkswagen Motorsport Polo R WRC 52.9s M

2. Ott Tanak Drive DMACK Ford Fiesta R5 +00m 00.3s WRC 2

3. Andreas Mikkelsen Volkswagen Motorsport II Polo R WRC +00m 00.4s M

4. Kris Meeke Citroen Total Abu Dhabi WRT DS3 WRC +00m 00.6s M

5. Jari-Matti Latvala Volkswagen Motorsport Polo R WRC +00m 00.8s M

6. Thierry Neuville Hyundai Motorsport i20 WRC +00m 01.1s M

7. Mads Ostberg Citroen Total Abu Dhabi WRT DS3 WRC +00m 01.3s M

8. Mikko Hirvonen M-Sport WRT Ford Fiesta RS WRC +00m 01.4s M

9. Robert Kubica RK M-Sport WRT Ford Fiesta RS WRC +00m 01.7s M

10. Lorenzo Bertelli Ford Fiesta R5 +00m 02.3s WRC2

Others

11. Quentin Gilbert Ford Fiesta R5 +00m 02.8s WRC 2

12. Nicolas Fuchs Ford Fiesta RRC +00m 03.0s WRC 2

13. Benito Guerra M-Sport WRT Ford Fiesta RS WRC +00m 03.1s

14. Elfyn Evans M-Sport WRT Ford Fiesta RS WRC +00m 03.5s M

15. Martin Prokop Jipocar Czech National Team Ford Fiesta RS WRC +00m 03.6s M

=. Yuriy Protasov Ford Fiesta R5 +00m 03.6s WRC2

23. Chris Atkinson Hyundai Motorsport i20 WRC +00m 24.7s M

WRC2 standings after Stage 1 (Top 3):

1. Ott Tanak Drive DMACK Ford Fiesta R5 53.3s WRC 2

2. Lorenzo Bertelli Ford Fiesta R5 +00m 02.0s WRC2

3. Quentin Gilbert Ford Fiesta R5 +00m 02.5s WRC 2

Notable retirements:

None.

all times unofficial

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Rally Mexico: Latvala fastest in shakedown

Volkswagen’s Jari-Matti Latvala posted the quickest time this morning in the shakedown for Rally Mexico, the latest round in the 2014 FIA World Rally Championship.

Latvala, who won the last event in Sweden and who currently heads the Drivers’ Championship after the opening two events, completed the 6.27 km Llani Grande test in 3 minutes 53.6 seconds, putting him 1.1 seconds up on Citroen’s Kris Meeke.

“Generally I feel in the groove with the car,” Latvala told the official WRC site. “Tyre wear was OK and this was a good way to get started. The stage had a narrow, technical section and a high speed part so it was a good sample of the actual rally, good preparation.”

Defending champion Sebastien Ogier meanwhile came in third in his Polo R WRC, with VW third driver, Andreas Mikkelsen fourth, followed by Mads Ostberg and Mikko Hirvonen, the latter leading the way for M-Sport. Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville, former F1 man Robert Kubica, Chris Atkinson and Benito Guerra rounded out the top ten.

The opening test is now due to take place this evening at 20.09 hours local time, when competitors will tackle the short 1.01km Street Stage in Gunajuato. The event then starts ‘proper’ on Friday with ten special stages on the bill and around 149 competitive kilometres.

Rally Mexico – Shakedown results:

1. Jari-Matti Latvala Volkswagen Motorsport Polo R WRC 3m 53.6s M

2. Kris Meeke Citroen Total Abu Dhabi WRT DS3 WRC 3m 54.7s M

3. Sebastien Ogier Volkswagen Motorsport Polo R WRC 3m 55.6s M

4. Andreas Mikkelsen Volkswagen Motorsport II Polo R WRC 3m 57.1s M

5. Mads Ostberg Citroen Total Abu Dhabi WRT DS3 WRC 3m 57.2s M

6. Mikko Hirvonen M-Sport WRT Ford Fiesta RS WRC 3m 58.2s M

7. Thierry Neuville Hyundai Motorsport i20 WRC 4m 00.1s M

8. Robert Kubica RK M-Sport WRT Ford Fiesta RS WRC 4m 01.5s M

9. Chris Atkinson Hyundai Motorsport i20 WRC 4m 02.8s M

10. Benito Guerra M-Sport WRT Ford Fiesta RS WRC 4m 04.4s

11. Martin Prokop Jipocar Czech National Team Ford Fiesta RS WRC 4m 10.5 M

12. Elfyn Evans M-Sport WRT Ford Fiesta RS WRC 4m 11.4s M

all times unofficial

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MG guarded over World Rally Car proposal

MG has issued a guarded response to news that the firm could be on the verge of a return to the World Rally Championship.

The Chinese-owned British brand confirmed it had been contacted by a private team regarding a potential MG3 WRC, but denied any negotiations had taken place.

A car has been built and the private team – which includes Ukranian driver Oleksii Tamrazov – is now seeking approval from the Birmingham marque.

A spokesperson from MG told AUTOSPORT: “We have been approached about this, but we have nothing to confirm this year beyond our British Touring Car Championship programme.”

MG runs MG6s in the BTCC in collaboration with Triple Eight.

Tamrazov, an occasional WRC and European Rally Championship competitor, told Italian website Rally Emotion that the programme just required MG approval as funding was in place.

“In a letter, MG said: ‘Currently, this year is planned and budget allocated and we have two motorsport programmes already to deliver. It would be much better for us to plan this for next year.’

“The programme will be financed by independent sources, not from MG. So they need just to decide if they want to go on with this programme.

“There are a few possible development companies who are interested in this. However, at this time it’s not possible to have full negotiations and chose one to work with until confirmation from MG about the project.

“The idea is deeper than just building MG WRC cars, but this is not the time to discuss this until [the programme] is confirmed from MG.”

MG has not run a full WRC programme since 1986, when Tony Pond and Malcolm Wilson drove Metro 6R4s.

It has dabbled in both Super 1600 and Super 2000 more recently.

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Volkswagen ‘unbeatable’ in WRC, says Mikko Hirvonen

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Volkswagen ‘unbeatable’ in WRC, says Mikko Hirvonen

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Volkswagen ‘unbeatable’ in WRC, says Mikko Hirvonen

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Volkswagen ‘unbeatable’ in WRC, says Mikko Hirvonen

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Volkswagen ‘unbeatable’ in WRC, says Mikko Hirvonen

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Neuville leads Hyundai to happy hunting ground

Thierry Neuville has high hopes for the Hyundai i20 WRC’s first gravel event in Mexico as he returns to the scene of his maiden World Rally Championship podium.

In only his second appearance on the Rally Mexico, the Belgian finished third for M-Sport Ford during the 2013 event, marking the first of seven podiums that saw him claim the runners-up spot in only his second season of WRC competition.

For 2014, Neuville heads to Mexico still seeking his first points of the season for series returnee Hyundai, with the Korean firm’s i20 WRC set to make its debut on gravel. Based on last year’s performance and the encouraging flashes from Hyundai, Neuville has high hopes.

“I can’t wait to go to Rally Mexico – it’s a fantastic event which I really like and enjoy every time I go there. It’s also a special rally for me as I had a very good result there last year, scoring the first WRC podium of my career.

“The main challenges in Mexico are the high altitude – which means the engine loses power and you need to carry more speed into the corners – and the high temperatures which make it demanding for us drivers from a physical point of view.

“We drove the Hyundai i20 WRC on gravel for the first time on a recent test session and in general we had a good feeling with the car. We had the chance to rack up some good mileage and also to make the set up adjustments for the rally next week. For us of course it will be very important to finish the event untroubled and give as much feedback as possible to the team to continue our development process.”

Making his Hyundai competition debut in the second i20 WRC, test driver Chris Atkinson will make his WRC return in Mexico.

“I’m really looking forward to join the Hyundai Shell WRT for the first time this season at Rally Mexico. I have had several good results in Mexico before including a second place in 2008, so I have some great memories of this rally and the fans in Mexico. It is a unique rally with the high altitude and the varied terrain, which makes it a great challenge for the drivers and the cars.

“Being in good physical shape will be very important in Mexico, I’ve been doing some training in the middle of the day during the Australian summer when it’s 35 degrees and I’ve also done some exercise in the sauna to be as much prepared as possible.

“I think it is important to get to the finish with no problems, if we can do this we will get a good result. Being the first gravel rally of the year, it will be interesting to see how well the i20 WRC performs in these conditions.”

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Rally Guanajuato México: Neuville relishing Mexico return

Thierry Neuville has high hopes for the Hyundai i20 WRC’s first gravel event in Mexico as he returns to the scene of his maiden World Rally Championship podium.

In only his second appearance on the Rally Mexico, the Belgian finished third for M-Sport Ford during the 2013 event, marking the first of seven podiums that saw him claim the runners-up spot in only his second season of WRC competition.

For 2014, Neuville heads to Mexico still seeking his first points of the season for series returnee Hyundai, with the Korean firm’s i20 WRC set to make its debut on gravel. Based on last year’s performance and the encouraging flashes from Hyundai, Neuville has high hopes.

“I can’t wait to go to Rally Mexico – it’s a fantastic event which I really like and enjoy every time I go there. It’s also a special rally for me as I had a very good result there last year, scoring the first WRC podium of my career.

“The main challenges in Mexico are the high altitude – which means the engine loses power and you need to carry more speed into the corners – and the high temperatures which make it demanding for us drivers from a physical point of view.

“We drove the Hyundai i20 WRC on gravel for the first time on a recent test session and in general we had a good feeling with the car. We had the chance to rack up some good mileage and also to make the set up adjustments for the rally next week. For us of course it will be very important to finish the event untroubled and give as much feedback as possible to the team to continue our development process.”

Making his Hyundai competition debut in the second i20 WRC, test driver Chris Atkinson will make his WRC return in Mexico.

“I’m really looking forward to join the Hyundai Shell WRT for the first time this season at Rally Mexico. I have had several good results in Mexico before including a second place in 2008, so I have some great memories of this rally and the fans in Mexico. It is a unique rally with the high altitude and the varied terrain, which makes it a great challenge for the drivers and the cars.

“Being in good physical shape will be very important in Mexico, I’ve been doing some training in the middle of the day during the Australian summer when it’s 35 degrees and I’ve also done some exercise in the sauna to be as much prepared as possible.

“I think it is important to get to the finish with no problems, if we can do this we will get a good result. Being the first gravel rally of the year, it will be interesting to see how well the i20 WRC performs in these conditions.”

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Rally Guanajuato México: Latvala out to extend lead

World Rally Championship leader Jari-Matti Latvala says he is heading to Mexico full of optimism following a confidence-boosting victory last time out in Sweden.

The Finn’s triumph in the snow saw him leapfrog past Volkswagen team-mate Sebastien Ogier to assume a slender advantage at the top of the standings, a margin he is looking to maintain during the first gravel-based event of the season in Mexico.

Though Latvala is keeping his expectations modest, particularly as his place at the top of the leaderboard means he will start first on the road in Mexico, he is setting his sights on the podium at least.

“The win in Sweden was a special moment for me, and has obviously given me an extra dose of confidence. We used tests in Spain to prepare meticulously for the forthcoming gravel rally in Mexico and the difficult conditions we will encounter there. The scrapping of qualifying means I, as the championship leader, have to be first out onto the route in Mexico.

“It goes without saying that this is a handicap. However, rules are rules. This is definitely outweighed by the pleasure of travelling to Mexico as the leader in the World Championship. I will be sporting about it and do my best whatever the circumstances.

“If everything goes perfectly to plan, it could still even be possible to win. However, that is not my main goal. We want at least to finish in the points. A place on the podium would be great.”

Having come close to his first WRC win in Sweden, Andreas Mikkelsen in the third Volkswagen Polo R WRC is keen to maintain a successful trend on his first visit to Mexico.

“Sweden was a perfect weekend. We were in contention to win the rally, and second place was ultimately a fantastic result for Mikko and me. Once you have made it onto the podium, you obviously want to do it again. However, you cannot lose your sense of reality.

“We are now looking forward to Mexico, which is completely new territory for us. It will not be easy for us, as I have never actually competed at this rally. I was able to take part in the ‘Recce’ last season, which allowed me to gain an initial impression.

“My goal is the top five. I am definitely physically and mentally fresh going into the rally weekend. After Sweden, I went home and spent some time with my family and friends. I also went to New York for a weekend to relax a little. I’m ready to go again now though.”

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Rally Guanajuato México: Ogier keen to bounce back

Sebastien Ogier is targeting a return to winning ways on the Rally Mexico after losing ground to Volkswagen team-mate Jari-Matti Latvala in Sweden.

Victory for Latvala last time out in the snow, coupled to Ogier’s disrupted run to sixth position, means it is the Finn that has taken an early lead in the World Rally Championship standings heading to the first gravel-based event of the season in Mexico.

Nonetheless, while Latvala has an indifferent record in Mexico, Ogier is looking forward to returning as last year’s winner, the Frenchman pointing out that the marginally more favourable running order is also likely to give him an early advantage.

“I like the Rally Mexico,” he said. “The goal for this year is obviously to repeat last season’s victory. The special stages in Mexico, some of which are very long, are always a big challenge for us. As the second car out, we start in the knowledge that the road conditions will improve with each car.

“My starting position is definitely better than that of my team-mate Jari-Matti Latvala, but the guys behind us will have even better conditions. As such, we will have to perform as well as possible on the opening day, in order not to throw away any hopes of victory early on.

Reflecting on the effect of high altitude on the cars, Ogier believes the Polo R WRC is well-equipped to deal with the conditions.

“One of our strengths last year was the engine in the Polo R WRC. We had fewer problems with the conditions, the thin air and the ensuing loss of performance than our rivals did. However, we all start from scratch again in 2014.”

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Back to gravel: Kubica takes on Rally Mexico

Robert Kubica will take on his third new rally in succession with the Ford Fiesta RS WRC next week as the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) returns to gravel for the 2014 edition of Rally Mexico.

Despite some exposed gravel at the previous outing in Sweden, next week’s adventure will be a completely new challenge as crews swap sub-zero temperatures for those as high as 30˚C. The blistering heat places huge demands on man and machine alike, as do the high altitudes witnessed nowhere other than the Mexican fixture.

Photo by: M-Sport

Stages climb over 2,500 meters above sea level which make precision driving paramount. With the oxygen-starved air reducing power by as much as 30 per cent, even the smallest of mistakes are hard to rectify and a considered recce coupled with all-out commitment on the stages are a must.

Thankfully, commitment is something Robert and co-driver Maciej Szczepaniak are not lacking. Determined to make the most of another new challenge, the RK M-Sport World Rally Team pairing will be looking to make it through all 22 stages unscathed – taking maximum knowledge and experience from the first long-haul event of the year.

The gravel tracks offer more consistent grip levels than those witnessed in the championship to date and will provide the perfect opportunity for the Formula One race winner to get more accustomed with the Fiesta RS WRC.

The Pole also has form on gravel. In his WRC 2 championship winning year, he claimed dominant victories on the loose-surface stages of Greece and Sardinia – as well as the mixed surface speed tests of Spain – and will be hoping to carry that momentum forward as he embarks on a new campaign across the Atlantic.

Having contested a full day’s testing in the mountains of Northern Spain, Robert and Maciej are well prepared for the task ahead. Simulating the power and performance expected at next week’s event, the Polish pairing are determined to achieve their goals in Mexico.

Robert Kubica said:

“From what I know, the stages of Rally Mexico are contested at very high attitudes. This means that there is a significant reduction in power which also influences the driving.

“This year there will be a lot of long, very demanding stages and I think it will be a challenging rally for a newcomer. It will be my first time on gravel with the [Ford] Fiesta RS WRC and my first time in Mexico so my aim is to finish the event with some good experience – hopefully without mistakes like those in Sweden.

“The approach is exactly the same as always. I will try to gain as much information as I can, but I also need to discover the rally for myself. Hopefully Maciej [Szczepaniak, co-driver] and I can have a smooth recce and enjoy the stages as we look to learn as much as we can.

“From what I can see, some parts of the route are very similar to the stages in Greece. I don’t know how hot it will be inside of Fiesta, as I haven’t yet had the opportunity to drive in such conditions, but last year I did not have any issues on the longer stages.

“Of course they are more demanding then the short stages, but I am used to being in a car for long periods of time and the races in Formula One are much longer then the stages we’ll encounter next week. The approach and the grip levels are different, but from a physical point of view I have no concerns about driving a 50 kilometre stage.

“I’m really looking forward to this new challenge and discovering these unknown stages for the first time. It’s a great opportunity to discover how the Fiesta performs on gravel.”

RK M-Sport World Rally Team

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Motorsport: Paddon’s WRC prep in full throttle

Hayden Paddon’s preparations for a breakthrough year in the WRC are already well in full throttle.

The 26-year-old Kiwi’s joined Hyundai Motorsport to race in seven WRC rally events through this year.

Co-driver John Kennard says Paddon’s already been familiarising himself with many aspects of being on the circuit full time.

He says Paddon’s been doing some shakedown work and will be doing testing prior to each event, to make sure nothing takes him by surprise with the new car when he begins properly racing.

Hayden Paddon will link up with his new team at Rally Mexico next week as an observer, with his first WRC race set down for June.

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Motorsport: Paddon’s WRC prep in full throttle

Hayden Paddon’s preparations for a breakthrough year in the WRC are already well in full throttle.

The 26-year-old Kiwi’s joined Hyundai Motorsport to race in seven WRC rally events through this year.

Co-driver John Kennard says Paddon’s already been familiarising himself with many aspects of being on the circuit full time.

He says Paddon’s been doing some shakedown work and will be doing testing prior to each event, to make sure nothing takes him by surprise with the new car when he begins properly racing.

Hayden Paddon will link up with his new team at Rally Mexico next week as an observer, with his first WRC race set down for June.

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Rally Finland chooses four

Rally GB’s hopes of retaining a four-day route for 2014 have been bolstered after Rally Finland unveiled a similar plan.

The Jyvaskyla-based event (which runs from July 31-August 3) includes competitive mileage on four days from Thursday to Sunday morning – mirroring the approach taken by GB organisers last year.

The World Rally Championship promoter recently stated that it wanted a more formulaic approach to rallies, with a ceremonial start on Thursday evening and a Sunday lunchtime finish.

FIA rally director Jarmo Mahonen admitted there was still flexibility on the timetabling of events.

“We don’t want to force anybody to run out of money,” said Mahonen.

“The promoter wants to see how this works this year, but if it is bad for the business then of course we will change it for next season.

“We still have flexibility for this season, if rallies really have a reason why they want to finish [at a different time other than Sunday] then we will look at that.”

Rally GB chief executive Andrew Coe had already stated he would be applying for a waiver to maintain the itinerary introduced last November.

The route issued by Rally Finland is dramatically different, with only four stages surviving from last year’s route.

The highlights of the new timetable include a potential return of the city centre stage last run through the middle of Jyvaskyla in 1998 and the classic Myhinpaa test.

As expected, Ouninpohja goes in its full glory, replaced by a shorter version centred around Kakaristo.

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New hub for Rally Australia

Organisers of Rally Australia have announced that the service park for the event will move to a new location when it takes place in September.

The service park will be based at a new location at the C.ex Coffs International Stadium, which will be open for free entry by the public, who also will be able to enjoy daily and nightly entertainment.

Work is also ongoing to secure agreements that will allow a new Super Special stage to be created in Coffs Harbour to form part of the event schedule.

“The C.ex Coffs International Stadium Service Park will be only three kilometres from our previous location, but will provide many advantages,” event manager David Catchpole said. “We will have a greater hard stand area to accommodate the rally cars in all weathers, the site layout will be more effective, our set-up costs will be significantly less and access via the Pacific Highway for spectators, competitors and media heading to the Special Stages will be much easier.

“This important enhancement to the event design will go hand-in-hand with a very exciting new course for the Super Special Stage in Coffs Harbour, which we will announce as soon as all planning and agreements are finalised.

“I’m pleased to add that our agreement with the Coffs Harbour City Council to use C.ex Coffs International Stadium will be for two years. Rally Australia is grateful to the council led by Mayor Denise Knight for this new agreement and for the strong partnership, along with the New South Wales Government, we have in bringing one of the world’s greatest motorsport spectacles to the Coffs Coast.”

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WRC: Ford to run new Fiesta in Mexico

M-Sport’s facelifted Fiesta RS WRC will run for the first time competitively in next week’s Rally Mexico.

The new look has been seen in pre-event and development tests throughout the early part of this year, but next week’s first gravel rally of the season will give fans their first glimpse the 2014-spec Fiesta.

M-Sport managing director Malcolm Wilson said: “We’re quite restricted on what we can do with the cars this season, but Mexico will be the first event for the facelift.

“There are a few small bits and pieces which we’ve done on the car and we will keep doing through the year, but there’s really nothing major coming for this season.”

The Fiesta R5 was homologated with the new front, but this is the biggest change to the exterior of the RS WRC since it was introduced in 2011.

Originally on Autosport.com

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M

M-Sport’s facelifted Fiesta RS WRC will run for the first time competitively in next week’s Rally Mexico.

The new look has been seen in pre-event and development tests throughout the early part of this year, but next week’s first gravel rally of the season will give fans their first glimpse the 2014-spec Fiesta.

M-Sport managing director Malcolm Wilson said: “We’re quite restricted on what we can do with the cars this season, but Mexico will be the first event for the facelift.

“There are a few small bits and pieces which we’ve done on the car and we will keep doing through the year, but there’s really nothing major coming for this season.”

The Fiesta R5 was homologated with the new front, but this is the biggest change to the exterior of the RS WRC since it was introduced in 2011.

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Hyundai Motorsport to field three Hyundai i20 at Rally de Portugal

Alzenau, Germany – Eager to accelerate its learning curve in the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC), Hyundai Motorsport has today announced that three Hyundai i20 WRC cars will be entered into Rally de Portugal, round four of the 2014 FIA World Rally Championship, in April.

Photo by: Hyundai Motorsport

The team’s lead driver Thierry Neuville will continue in his role behind the wheel of the #7 car, whilst Finn Juho Hänninen will drive the #8 Hyundai i20 WRC after a promising performance at Rally Sweden earlier this month.

After his debut for the team at Monte-Carlo back in January, Neuville and Hänninen will be joined on the Portuguese event by Spaniard Dani Sordo driving the Hyundai i20 WRC #20.

The Alzenau-based team has also announced its participation in the Fafe Rally Sprint, the now traditional event organized as a precursor to Rally de Portugal. The one-day event will be held on Saturday 29th March at the iconic Fafe-Lameirinha stage – which was part of the classic Rally de Portugal – and attracts hundreds of thousands of spectators each year.

Team Principal Michel Nandan commented: “Having three cars at Rally de Portugal will be very positive for us and it will allow us to continue our data collection and to accumulate more mileage in our debut WRC season. I think we have a good line-up for Portugal with Thierry, Juho and Dani – each of them will bring their experience and will give us their own unique feedback which will help us in the continuous development of the Hyundai i20 WRC. Thierry’s level of performance combined with Juho’s skills on gravel and Dani’s experience and excellent track record at Rally de Portugal make them a very good choice for the event” he said.

“We are also very happy to take part in the Fafe Rally Sprint the weekend before Rally de Portugal. Of course, this will be a very warm-up for the event but it’s also a fantastic occasion for hundreds of thousands fans gather to see their WRC heroes in action on one of most famed stages in the history of the World Rally Championship” he concluded.

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