Hyundai has just revealed the first photos of its 2014-spec World Rally Championship car based on its i20 hatchback which is also sold in Malta.
The photos reveal Hyundai Motorsport’s strong progress as the new i20 underwent the first gravel tests in France by the team’s recently signed drivers: Juho Hänninen, Bryan Bouffier and Chris Atkinson. All three drivers got behind the wheel of the i20 WRC as the team evaluated a range of new components in unique gravel conditions in preparation for the team’s debut season next year.
Following last year’s announcement of its intention to World Rally Championship, Hyundai has been gradually building up its team, has established a new motorsport centre in Germany and worked incessantly on the development of this brand new i20 WRC car.
Hyundai Motorsport team principal Michel Nandan said: “We 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. 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 postive.”
The team carried out two separate private tests during July, in which to put the latest iteration i20 WRC through its paces with the prime objective of component testing in appropriate conditions for the FIA World Rally Championship.
“The two test sessions held last month took place at Chateau Lastours and Mazamet in France, two venues that afforded us diverse conditions,” Nandan added.
“These latest tests have helped us assess the main mechanical components of the car, like transmission or suspension, an evolution of the car we used in previous tarmac tests.”
The team has also been finessing its own operations at the tests, bonding as a team and establishing the test crew set-up for the rest of the year’s testing.
Nandan said: “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 attained another important milestone by kicking off our gravel tests but we have more still to do in the remaining months before Monte Carlo. 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.”