The Hyundai i20 R5, which is expected to fight for FIA European Rally Championship glory in future, recorded its first major victory last weekend with former ERC stars Kevin Abbring and Seb Marshall.
Hyundai Motorsport testers Abbring and Marshall, who gave the car its public debut in the ERC in June, took the win on the Rallye du Var in France, becoming only the second foreign crew to do so.
Abbring, who scored two ERC podiums during the 2014 season, said: “The New Generation i20 R5 was great all weekend. The handling balance was perfect. We came here to prove the competitiveness of the car, and an overall win is best way to do that.”
Hyundai’s customer racing manager Andrea Adamo stated earlier this year that the ERC’s accessibility for privateers made it “perfectly aligned” with the marque’s strategy for the R5 car.
“Overall victory on the Rallye du Var is a great moment in the New Generation i20 R5 project,” said Adamo. “The event was extremely demanding, with tough roads in difficult conditions. Kevin showed the real potential of the car here, matching the pace of WRC crews on several stages.”