Hyundai has struggled to shape its WRC premier class program for 2022. The late confirmation from South Korea of the ‘Rally1’ project has forced the brand’s competition department to develop the new hybrid car in record time. With much shorter deadlines than Toyota and M-Sport, the team has managed to bring to life a Hyundai i20 N Rally1 that arrived at the Montecarlo Rally by the hair and still with some problems of youth.
In fact, the third Hyundai i20 N Rally1 was not ready to contest the ‘Monte’ until hours before the start of the shakedown of the event, A clear example of how adjusted everything has been in the project of the Asian brand. In addition, the performance of ‘Rally1’ in Montecarlo was far from expected, with various reliability failures in different areas that have forced the brand to accelerate the pace to improve this aspect ahead of Rally Sweden. A complex scenario that has monopolized all the efforts and resources of the brand.
It is not surprising with these conditions that the Hyundai project in WRC2 has been relegated to the background. In fact, the brand has not presented any Hyundai i20 N Rally2 in the silver category of the World Championship neither in Monte Carlo nor in Sweden. Nevertheless, the manufacturer does not forget the program that gives visibility to the ‘Customer Racing’ project and that it is one of the economic engines of the team thanks to the sale to drivers and private teams of its ‘Rally2’ vehicle.
In this line, Julien Moncet as deputy director of Hyundai Motorsport has revealed that the brand’s project in WRC2 is very much alive and that in the near future all the details about the plans within the silver division will be given. Teemu Suninen is expected to spearhead the project. Hyundai in WRC2 with the i20 N Rally2 after testing the South Korean firm’s car in the French Alps in early January. His program should start at Rally Croatiatest that is disputed on asphalt.
Waiting to find out the ingredients of Teemu Suninen’s project and if the brand has a second car, the WRC2 category is gaining in participants. In fact, M-Sport will compete in the Swedish Rally with two units of its Ford Fiesta Rally2 after being in a situation similar to that of Hyundai and opt out of competing in the silver division at the Monte Carlo Rally. In the case of the British team, M-Sport will have Jari Huttunen and Mattias Adielsson as its official drivers for the season.