Hyundai Motorsport WRC Review: Round 11 Rally New Zealand.

Crew Notes: Ott Tänak/Martin Järveoja (#8 Hyundai i20 N Rally1)

• Stage win on SS15 took the crew’s total number of fastest times this weekend to four
• Four additional points for second quickest in the Power Stage

Tänak said: “Altogether, Rally New Zealand has been a difficult weekend for us, but it’s been a great place to be, on amazing roads and fun to drive. We have not been up to the pace to fight for the win but we’re still on the podium with a good finish to add points onto the board. Since the beginning of the year, we’ve not been in the drivers’ championship fight, even if something was coming back in the middle of the season. Fair play to Toyota, and especially to Kalle, who has beaten everyone fair and square. Congratulations to them.”

Crew Notes: Thierry Neuville/Martijn Wydaeghe (#11 Hyundai i20 N Rally1)

• Crew secured fourth place after a difficult weekend
• Solitary consolation point taken in the Power Stage

Neuville said: “Fourth place was about the maximum we could do this weekend with all the time penalties and the two spins we had on Friday. It was a bit of a harsh start to the event, so we really couldn’t do much more. We were just in a waiting position today, with our only chance to gain positions dependent on those in front of us. We need to work on the car in these conditions; I just don’t feel comfortable, and it’s been a bit of a struggle for me to drive and go fast. We’re getting there slowly but we’re going to carry on working on it. It has been nice to come back to this rally, which is a very special event, far from home, even if it didn’t go as we wanted.”

Crew Notes: Oliver Solberg/Elliott Edmondson (#2 Hyundai i20 N Rally1)

• Second consecutive top-five result for the crew after fourth in Finland
• Another valuable weekend of learning with signs of encouraging pace

Sordo said: “It has not been a perfect weekend for sure, so to come away with a fifth-place finish is a real positive. We’ve had a lot of small things occurring that prevented us from getting into a good rhythm. I tried to push a bit in the Power Stage but, again, it wasn’t great. At least we gave it a go. We have gained a whole lot of experience and learnings, for both us and for the car in the future. Thanks to the team for all their preparations for this long-haul event, and to the mechanics for sorting the car after all our issues this weekend.”

“A quite frustrating rally for us and definitely not the result we came here for. We had too many issues and a general lack of pace to anything better. We will have to deeply analyse everything that went wrong and find solutions for the next events. Still, we haven’t given up and all three cars made it to the finish. Ott showed again how competitive he is, keeping pressure on the drivers in front and fighting until the end to secure another podium. For Thierry, there was nothing to gain today and despite a big moment in SS16, he ended this rally in fourth scoring valuable points for Hyundai. Oliver did another strong rally finishing fifth overall, avoiding mistakes and showing promising times despite the tricky conditions and issues we have faced all weekend.Hyundai would like to extend its sincerest congratulations to Kalle Rovanperä and Toyota Gazoo Racing on securing the 2022 FIA World Rally Championship drivers’ title. We are committed to fighting at the very highest level of this championship. The results demonstrated by Kalle and Toyota act as motivation and inspiration for all of us. Their performances this season offer an impressive benchmark. We will not stop pushing to improve our own competitiveness and look forward to close fights in the remaining rallies of this season. Well done also to Hayden Paddon who has scored a brilliant win in WRC2, showing again the competitiveness of our Hyundai i20 N Rally2 car. The next rally is Spain which we hope will suit our car better. The manufacturers’ championship is still mathematically achievable, and we will fight until the end. Winning is our only aim.” - Deputy Team Director Julien Moncet