Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team´s deputy team principal Julien Moncet says the Rally Finland win last time out is a boost of confidence for the team and it proved the Hyundai i20 N Rally1 car is reliable, speaking ahead of the weekend as the team is heading for round nine of the FIA World Rally Championship in Belgium.
The team enjoyed great success at Ypres Rally last season too with the local home hero Thierry Neuville clinching the win in the old WRC spec Hyundai i20 WRC car. The team have had issues with the setup and reliability throughout the season and only had two wins so far with Ott Tänak winning in Italy and now last time out in Finland.
Hyundai has also proved the pace on tarmac rallies can be strong, the only tarmac rally so far this season is the Rally Croatia and there the team also made some progress but are falling more behind when it comes to setting up the cars for gravel rallies.
For this rally the team will have its usual line-up of Ott Tänak / Martin Järveoja. Thierry Neuville / Martijn Wydaeghe and Oliver Solberg / Elliott Edmondson.
“Although it is a short turnaround from the last event, we take a lot of confidence with us to Belgium. The victory at Rally Finland showed that the Hyundai i20 N Rally1 is reliable, competitive, and certainly capable of winning rallies. We also performed well at Ypres last year, with Thierry and Martijn leading an excellent 1-2 finish at their home event. Our pace on tarmac during Croatia Rally was strong, so we hope to reproduce that same speed next weekend on a similar surface.”
“For Oliver it will be another chance for him to learn and improve. As part of his nurturing process, we must give him as much time as possible in the car. Of course, the three days of stages will be difficult; the roads are demanding, and the field is incredibly strong as always. However, our aim is to continue building a positive momentum within the team and fight for the top step of the podium once again.”
Ypres Rally starts on Thursday 18 August with the shakedown and ends on Sunday 21 August.
