The Hyundai Motorsport team flies to South America as the 2015 World Rally Championship resumes this week with another running of the classic Rally Argentina. Hyundai Motorsport is optimistic for another positive result as the 2015 FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) resumes following a six-week break for next week’s Rally Argentina, round four of this year’s 13-event series.
Hyundai Motorsport has shown competitive pace in the three events so far contested in this year’s WRC with numerous stage wins and a podium at Rally Sweden. Returning refreshed and motivated following the top-five result in Mexico last month, the team has made further improvements to its Hyundai i20 WRC rally cars in an attempt to continue the positive momentum in its second year of WRC competition.
For me the weather and the fog are the biggest factors at Rally Argentina…
Thierry Neuville
Argentina will offer new challenges with spectacular water splashes, lunar-like landscapes and sandy gravel roads, which often become rutted on the second pass, among the main characteristics of the rally. Then there are the enthusiastic Argentine fans who line up on the roadside to cheer for their WRC idols – adding a special atmosphere to the entire event.
Hyundai Motorsport will make the most of the experience accumulated last year in its first ever Rally Argentina event, as it aims to cement second place in the Manufacturers’ standings. The team’s Hyundai i20 WRC cars will be once again in the expert hands of Thierry Neuville (Hyundai i20 WRC #7) and Dani Sordo (Hyundai i20 WRC #8) – representing the Hyundai Shell World Rally Team – and Hayden Paddon (Hyundai i20 WRC #20) running for the Hyundai Mobis World Rally Team.
Cars will be fitted with the paddle-shift gear selector for the first time
After introducing an engine upgrade at Rally Mexico with new fuel injectors fitted in the Hyundai i20 WRC, Hyundai Motorsport will now run the paddle-shift for the first time on Neuville and Sordo’s cars. This new gear selector is based on a hydraulic system and will be more comfortable for drivers, while also contributing to overall performance of the car.
Hyundai Motorsport started preparations for Rally Argentina last month when the team travelled to Spain for a test with all three drivers behind-the-wheel of the Hyundai i20 WRC. Testing is prohibited outside of Europe but the Spanish roads offered similar characteristics to those expected in Argentina next week, allowing the team to prepare well for this demanding event.