The serious accident of Thierry Neuville and Martijn Wydaeghe Fortunately, the Hyundai i20 N Rally1 tested without serious injuries for the Belgian couple. However, the hard departure from the track of the Hyundai duo has drawn a critical situation for the manufacturer of South Korean origin. In the end, Hyundai Motosport is immersed in the countdown to the new era of the WRC, with the final phase of development of its ‘Rally1’ in full swing. In fact, Hyundai faces the challenge of redirecting the development of the i20 N Rally1 before passing the FIA homologation and putting all the preparation of the Monte Carlo Rally on track to compete in the first date of the year with three units of his new car.
Internal sources of Hyundai Motorsport consulted by ‘DirtFish’ assure that there is great concern within the team about work deadlines from here to the start of the 2022 WRC with the Monte Carlo Rally. The to-do list is now much larger and the goals have not moved. In fact, Hyundai Motorsport’s plan goes through have ready the three units of the i20 N Rally1 that will compete in the Monte Carlo Rally in just over five weeksBefore entering the dynamics of the rally, they must complete a sort of shakedown in the vicinity of the Hyundai factory in Alzenau, Germany. Workdays at the factory promise to be longer after the Neuville accident.
The problem is that the crashed Hyundai i20 N Rally1 was the only test unit available at the moment., so the brand should focus all its efforts on build chassis number 2 and get it on the road as soon as possible. A doubly complex situation since Hyundai Motorsport already accumulated a certain delay with respect to Toyota and M-Sport, since mileage with a genuine 2022 spec vehicle has been very limited. The union of these factors put into question Hyundai’s project and the brand’s preparation with respect to its rivals, although if there is something ‘positive’ that can be taken out of the accident, it is that the new FIA safety cage has worked perfectly to save Neuville and his co-pilot from more serious injuries.
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