Hyundai i20 WRC readying for 2014 FIA World Rally Championship

Hyundai, the South Korean automaker has entered the 2014 FIA World Rally Championship, and with the rally season rapidly approaches, the company is busy doing its final preparation. For its upcoming challenge during October, the i20 WRC will be tested for 15 days and will be driven more than 1000km on both gravel and tarmac.

Hyundai Motorsport Team Principal Michel Nandan, said: “This month was exceptionally busy for us. We were out testing the i20 WRC on both surfaces for more than half of the month, with our three test drivers swapping the seat on four separate test sessions. We now have two latest-spec i20 WRC cars, which allows us to further intensify the development schedule by alternating between the two chassis. Overall, it was a positive month as we managed to test new parts, try different set-up solutions and cover some good mileage with the car.”

October’s testing kicked off with a four-day gravel test in the south of Spain where the team continued to assess the behaviour of the i20 WRC in warm weather conditions with both Juho Hanninen and Chris Atkinson on duty.

The Hyundai Motorsport team then moved from the south of Spain up to the Catalonia region for a five-day gravel test. This was followed by a tarmac test in Baumholder, Germany, home of the iconic Arena Panzerplatte, which forms part of Rallye Deutschland’s itinerary.

In the final week of October, the team continues tarmac development in Catalonia on the roads of Rally de España, the penultimate round of the WRC, which was held last week. This month marked also the beginning of another important process for the Hyundai Motorsport team. The dossier for the homologation of the i20 WRC needs to be compiled and lodged by the FIA by the end of October.

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