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Motorsport Hyundai Takes 1st and 3rd at Rally Italia Sardegna
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Motorsport Hyundai Takes 1st and 3rd at Rally Italia Sardegna
Motorsport Hyundai Takes 1st and 3rd at Rally Italia Sardegna
Motorsport Hyundai Takes 1st and 3rd at Rally Italia Sardegna
Motorsport Hyundai Takes 1st and 3rd at Rally Italia Sardegna
Motorsport Hyundai Takes 1st and 3rd at Rally Italia Sardegna
Motorsport Hyundai Takes 1st and 3rd at Rally Italia Sardegna
Motorsport Hyundai Takes 1st and 3rd at Rally Italia Sardegna
Motorsport Hyundai Takes 1st and 3rd at Rally Italia Sardegna
Motorsport Hyundai Takes 1st and 3rd at Rally Italia Sardegna
Motorsport Hyundai Takes 1st and 3rd at Rally Italia Sardegna
Motorsport Hyundai Takes 1st and 3rd at Rally Italia Sardegna
Motorsport Hyundai Takes 1st and 3rd at Rally Italia Sardegna
ALGHERO/SEOUL, JUNE 2, 2024 – Hyundai Motorsport is celebrating a fantastic finish to Rally Italia Sardegna, the sixth round of the FIA World Rally Championship season (WRC), where Ott Tänak snatched victory on the final stage of the event by just two-tenths of a second.
The Estonian had been gaining on rally leader Sébastien Ogier throughout the day as their intense battle continued, yet it appeared the gap was insurmountable heading into the Power Stage. However, this unpredictable rally held one final surprise: a puncture for Ogier saw the advantage swing back to Tänak when it mattered most. The incredible result matches the 2011 Jordan Rally for the closest-ever finish in WRC history and marks a seventh win for Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team in Sardinia.
It is also Hyundai Motorsport’s second consecutive double podium finish, with Dani Sordo/Cándido
Carrera joining their team-mates after safely bringing their Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid home in third. Meanwhile, Thierry Neuville/Martijn Wydaeghe topped the Super Sunday standings in a superb recovery from their Saturday frustrations.
Sunday featured two tests: Cala Flumini (SS13/15, 12.55km) and Sassari-Argentiera (SS14/16, 7.10km). Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team was quick out the blocks: once again, Neuville refused to let the disadvantage of being first on the road hamper his mission to score maximum points. Two stage wins in the morning loop established the Belgian at the top of the Super Sunday standings.
Tänak was similarly on a charge, with the Estonian claiming two second-fastest times in SS13 and SS14 to confirm a double Hyundai Motorsport 1-2 in stage. Another stage win for Tänak on SS15 narrowed the gap to first to just 6.2 seconds heading into the Power Stage.
Neuville’s early benchmark on SS16 proved to be untouchable, as conditions on the stage continued to worsen for the later runners. This allowed the Belgian to claim full Power Stage and Super Sunday points and maintain his position at the top of the drivers’ championship.
Tänak’s win, his first of the 2024 season and the team’s 30th victory in FIA WRC, sees the Estonian gain ground in the standings to now sit joint second. Sordo maintained his solid pace on Sunday to successfully confirm a terrific team result, scoring important points for the team’s fight in the manufacturers’ championship. As a result, Hyundai Motorsport has extended its advantage to 13 points.
I’m feeling so many emotions right now. I’m very sorry for Seb to lose a win like this, it is cruel. I have been in the exactly the same position having a ‘safe’ victory taken away from me a couple of years ago. It’s been a tough weekend but it is great to finish with such a strong result. Let’s see what the next rallies will bring; we’re moving into the second half of the season and we’re definitely in the game. Now we have some fast rallies which I normally looking forward to, but I was supposed to enjoy yesterday afternoon as well but it was just not going to plan. Hopefully we can find a good feeling in the car in our next events.
Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team
It wasn’t the easiest of days; Elfyn was having a good run and making good progress, so he was pushing us to the very end. In the final stage I just tried to survive, it was completely destroyed and very hard on the car. We finish on the podium, which makes me very happy. It has been a joy to be back in the Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid for these two events, which I enjoy so much, and I am pleased to be able to bring home a great result for the team. It was important for us to have a good finish and help the team in such a close battle for the manufacturers’ championship.
Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team
We did the job we needed to do today, but we are obviously frustrated with what happened yesterday. We were clearly managing the conditions, the speed was good and we felt comfortable – and fast. I just lost focus for a fraction of a second, and there was no way to continue. I’m not very proud of the weekend as a whole but I take pride in our performance on Friday and today, as well as in the team for a great result today. Now we turn to Poland, where I have won before – we have shown great improvements last year in Estonia and Finland, so I am looking forward to it.
Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team
It is obviously a very emotional finish here today. It looked like the win would once again escape from our grasp after Ott wisely decided to play it safe yesterday. However, today’s result showed that you can also combine a smart approach to a rally with strong skills and the right momentum at the perfect time, resulting in a great win. It is a fantastic moment for him in his return to the team. This is a strong step in the championship, and an excellent team result with Dani on the podium. He did exactly what we expected of him for the team this weekend and it's great to see them both from on that podium, underscoring our competitiveness. Finally, Thierry has once again demonstrated his very commanding speed in any road position, including today when the motivation level was very high to make up for the loss and disappointment of yesterday. Obviously, we need to make sure that mistakes are as limited as possible as we expect this championship to continue to be incredibly competitive until the very end. There is even more to celebrate today, with our cars locking out the TCR class podium at the Nürburgring 24 Hours – we send our congratulations to our colleagues there for a phenomenal result.
Hyundai Motorsport President and Team Principal
Next rally at a Glance
All results remain subject to official FIA confirmation.
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Established in 1967, Hyundai Motor Company is present in over 200 countries with more than 120,000 employees dedicated to tackling real-world mobility challenges around the globe. Based on the brand vision ‘Progress for Humanity,’ Hyundai Motor is accelerating its transformation into a Smart Mobility Solution Provider. The company invests in advanced technologies such as robotics and Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) to bring about revolutionary mobility solutions, while pursuing open innovation to introduce future mobility services. In pursuit of sustainable future for the world, Hyundai will continue its efforts to introduce zero emission vehicles equipped with industry-leading hydrogen fuel cell and EV technologies.
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About Hyundai Motorsport GmbH
Hyundai Motorsport GmbH is responsible for Hyundai’s global motorsport activities, including the FIA World Rally Championship and Customer Racing projects. Since its inception in 2012, Hyundai Motorsport has established a strong reputation in WRC and claimed the manufacturers’ title in 2019 and 2020. The company embraced the all- new technical challenge of WRC’s hybrid era in 2022, resulting in the birth of the Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid. Following the creation of its Customer Racing department in 2015, Hyundai Motorsport has become a trusted partner for teams and drivers looking for success on the rally stages or on racetracks around the world. From its competitive Hyundai i20 N Rally2 to the front-running Hyundai ELANTRA N TCR, Hyundai Motorsport-built cars have claimed crowns in several national rally championships and titles in the FIA World Touring Car Cup (WTCR) (2018, 2019, 2022) and the TCR World Tour (2023). Hyundai Motorsport has supported an important perception shift for the Hyundai brand around the world over the past ten years and continues to play an instrumental role in driving Hyundai’s global high-performance N brand.
Further information about Hyundai Motorsport is available at: https://motorsport.hyundai.com
10 Years of Strategic Partnership: Hyundai Motorsport & Shell
Global energy company Shell is a long-standing partner of Hyundai Motorsport, having supported the team since its debut WRC season in 2014. This year therefore marks a key milestone for the relationship: 10 years of strategic partnership. Shell has worked with the team across several iterations of technical regulations over the past decade, including some of the most advanced cars ever to grace the WRC stages. The partnership has produced an abundance of success, with the highlights being the celebration of two manufacturers’ titles together in 2019 and 2020. Furthermore, across the ten seasons to date, Hyundai Motorsport has had total engine reliability and no wear issues with the help of Shell Helix Ultra lubricants, which have been designed for ultimate engine performance without compromise.
To download high-resolution photos for editorial use, full drivers’ profiles, as well as other useful press information about the team please refer to: https://press.motorsport.hyundai.com/home
