Hyundai Motorsport Preview: Round 8 - Rally Italia Sardegna.

Hyundai Motorsport will be hoping to get back to winning ways as the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) moves into its second half with Rally Italia Sardegna next weekend.

Continuing WRC’s run of consecutive gravel events, Sardinia has proven to be a happy hunting ground for Hyundai Motorsport in the past seasons. The team has claimed two victories at the event (2016 and 2018) with a total of five individual podium results.

A trio of crews will helm the Hyundai i20 Coupe WRCs with reigning Sardinia winners Thierry Neuville and Nicolas Gilsoul aiming to continue their recent competitive form. Neuville holds third in the drivers’ championship, following a fine drive to second in Portugal, just ten points from the lead.

Andreas Mikkelsen and Anders Jæger-Amland return to the Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team line-up aiming to recreate the form that powered them to second place in Argentina in April. Dani Sordo and Carlos del Barrio, meanwhile, have their sights set on a competitive and trouble-free rally after a frustrating weekend in Portugal, where they demonstrated their pace and potential on tough gravel routes.

All three crews have had the opportunity to test the Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC ahead of Rally Italia Sardegna as Hyundai Motorsport seeks to extend its advantage in the manufacturers’ championship. The 19-stage Rally Italia Sardegna covers a competitive distance of 310.52km with a largely unchanged route to last season, an event that was decided in thrilling fashion on the Power Stage with Neuville emerging victorious by 0.7-seconds.

Team Director Andrea Adamo said: “We enter the second half of the season knowing we can’t afford to have off-weekends like we did in Portugal. We came away with a second place but that could have been so much more. We have an opportunity in Sardinia to show what we are capable of but it’s in our hands to deliver. We will face another challenging rally in terms of the road conditions and temperatures but I am confident our crews will use their undisputed talent to secure the best result possible. We will do our talking on the stages.”

Crew Notes: Thierry Neuville/Nicolas Gilsoul (#11 Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC)

Neuville said: “Sardinia is one of my favourite events. It suits perfectly to my driving style and to our pace notes system. Nicolas and I have always felt comfortable there and we have had lots of success in the past. I hope we will be able to add to that in this year’s event. The championship is heating up nicely, so it will be another close battle I am sure. We will have the pleasure of driving against some really beautiful landscapes with some nice, technical stages – exactly what we enjoy!”

Crew Notes: Andreas Mikkelsen / Anders Jæger-Amland (#89 Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC)

Mikkelsen said: “I am excited to get back behind the wheel of the Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC after Thierry’s strong result in Portugal. Sardinia is a tricky rally, very technical with narrow roads that require precise pace notes and driving style. It’s important to have a predictable car for this event, one that gives you the confidence to push. Often there are rocks on the road and it becomes heavily rutted on the second pass. This puts extra focus on tyre management. Starting position is also a key factor with those running later benefitting from the cleaning effect. A tough but enjoyable rally awaits us.”

Crew Notes: Dani Sordo/Carlos del Barrio (#6 Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC)

Sordo said: “We know that we missed an opportunity for a competitive result in Portugal but we have regrouped and our focus is now on Sardinia where our target is for a trouble-free, reliable weekend. It is, however, a difficult rally. The roads are narrow with stones on the side that can catch us unaware. The first pass is quite sandy so there is more grip on the repeat loop, which means we have to follow a clever tyre strategy. The hot conditions also make it a gruelling rally on the car, tyres and crew, so we have lots of things to monitor and manage over the whole weekend.”

Weekend at a glance

• 19 stages run over a competitive distance of 310.52km
• Weekend gets underway with 2km run at the Ittiri Arena Show
• Friday’s loop is identical to 2018 with 124.20km of stages in the north-east
• Saturday includes the famous Micky’s Jump within the Monte-Lerno stage on the longest day of the rally – 142.42km of special stages
• Sunday moves to the coast north of Alghero for a picturesque conclusion to the rally in which hot conditions and gruelling terrain are expected to prevail