Productive Rally weekend for Hyundai i20 R5
Alzenau (Germany): Hyundai i20 R5 customer teams took victory in three different national championship events last weekend, as series across Europe began their 2018 seasons.
Reigning champions Iván Ares and José Pintor took maximum points from the Rali do Cocido (March 17), the opening round of the Spanish tarmac championship. The i20 R5 crew outpaced both their fellow R5 runners and drivers in nationally homologated N5 machinery.
Carrying a new livery for the new season, incorporating Hyundai’s Performance Blue, the pairing wasted no time in establishing themselves at the front of the rally with two fastest times at the start of the rally. A scare – skating wide into a field – dropped them momentarily to third overall. However, they immediately rebounded, regaining one position as they took the three points on offer for the winning the TC Plus power stage.
Four more stage wins followed before the close of the rally, sealing a fantastic victory to start an expanded season in Spain, with a total of 11 events making up the 2018 season.
Perfect record preserved in Paraguay
The combination of the i20 R5, Hyundai Paraguay and Diego Dominguez continued to be the team to beat in the country. Dominguez and co-driver Edgardo Galindo were on the pace throughout the Rally Trans Itapúa (March 16-18), winning four stages on Saturday alone as they surged into the overall lead. As well as the performance they were able to rely on the i20 R5, as their rivals found trouble on the rough gravel roads.
A controlled run through the four stages on the final day of the event allowed them to cruise to a third victory of the year by over a minute. The result kept them at the head of the Paraguayan championship, but also put them in the lead of the South American FIA CODASUR Championship, which attracts the top crews from across the continent.
Fast on the French tarmac
Bryan Bouffier led three i20 R5 crews onto the start line of the Rallye Le Touquet – Pas de Calais (March 16-17). The Frenchman was making his first start in the national championship for five years, and his first competitive start in an i20 R5, run by the Onyx Racing by Enjolras team. Bouffier and co-driver Gilbert Dini were the fastest R5 entrants overall throughout the two-day event which formed the first round of the French Tarmac championship.
Such was the pace of the car that on two occasions they beat teams in former WRC machinery to claim the fastest stage time overall, extending their advantage at the top of the R5 category at the same time. The pair ended with nearly a minute in hand over their closest rivals in the all-important class standings, announcing their intentions the season to come.
Jordan Berfa and Damien Augustin finished eighth overall. Starting the season with a fresh challenge on tarmac after winning last year’s gravel championship the Turbo ABP Competition run team were consistent throughout in their i20 R5, showing the same reliability – of both car and crew – that led them to their 2017 championship.
The final i20 R5 car, run by Sarrazin Motorsport for Quentin Giordano, was also a fixture in the top-10. However, Giordano and Frédéric Vauclare were forced out of the rally with two stages remaining.
Hungarian customers battle in Austria
Three more i20 R5 customers were in action at the Rebenland Rallye (March 16-17), which brought together the entries for the Austrian championship and the Mitropa Cup.
Hungarian teams LPWM Sport and Korda Racing were represented by Lovász Pál and Szabolcs Várkonyi respectively. The two crews were locked in battle for almost the entire event just outside of the top-10 overall. They finished 16th and 17th, with the Korda pairing ahead.
The i20 R5 customer line-up at the rally was completed by Hans Peter Haid at the wheel of the Gassner Motorsport-owned car, making his second start with the team following January’s Jänner Rallye.
Consistent pace in Ireland and Holland
Eugene Donnelly gave the i20 R5 its seasonal debut in Ireland at the opening round of the Irish Tarmac Championship, the West Cork Rally (March 17-18). Still adapting to his new chassis, and to competition after taking a year out in 2017, Donnelly was a constant in the top-10 finishing in ninth overall in another event headed by older spec WRC cars.
Another consistent result for an i20 R5 customer came in the Zuiderzee Rally (March 17-18) in Holland. Bob de Jong finished fifth overall to start his campaign in the domestic championship.
Hyundai Motorsport Customer Racing Deputy General Manager Andrea Adamo said: “This last weekend was a great one for our customers, and so it was very strong for the Hyundai Motorsport Customer Racing department.
“The best advertisement for the i20 R5 is the results on the stages, so to have victories the events in France, Spain and Paraguay covering tarmac and gravel is a special moment. Of course, while our customers have now made fast starts to their national campaigns it is important that we now work to support them through the rest of the year, so they can end the year as well as they have started.”
About the Hyundai Motorsport Customer Racing department
Hyundai Motorsport GmbH established its Customer Racing department in September 2015 with the aim of enhancing Hyundai’s motorsport image around the world – in parallel to its successful WRC programme. Following its debut the i20 R5 quickly proved popular with teams and drivers across Europe. The car is designed so that both professional and amateur drivers can compete in the full range of international, regional and national championships where R5-specification cars are eligible. In February 2017 the Hyundai Motorsport announced their second Customer Racing project, a car designed to the TCR regulations, which the Customer Racing department will oversee alongside continuing to support their existing clients.
Further information about Hyundai Motorsport is available at: http://motorsport.hyundai.com
Hyundai Motorsport Customer Racing Release
