Hyundai Motorsport gave customers a chance to drive the New Generation i20 R5 in their four days of testing on tarmac (2-5 August 2016) in France before the i20 R5 is homologated in early September.
Following on from the New Generation i20 R5’s debut at the Ypres Rally in June, Hyundai’s Customer Racing Department focused on long runs at the Chambley Circuit. The i20 R5 added 500 kilometres to the car’s development over the two days of testing without any issues.
Test Driver Kevin Abbring, who played a pivotal role in the development of the New Generation i20 R5 was in attendance as were many other teams and drivers who had the opportunity to test the New Generation i20 R5.
Hyundai Motorsport’s Customer Racing Manager Andrea Adamo said “We are very close to starting the homologation of the New Generation i20 R5 in only a few weeks. As we have gone through the programme, each time we have run the car has become more and more important, so naturally it was very important to have a successful test last week.
“At the Ypres Rally we showed we have developed a very strong car on tarmac, and at Chambley we are able to concentrate on fine-tuning and building on the results we had seen previously to prove the reliability we have built into the engine.
“However, the ultimate success of the project will fall with our customers. It was great to welcome them to the test, and for them to get their first chance to drive the car. The feedback from those who got behind the wheel was very positive which is both encouraging and rewarding.”
