Hyundai launches i20 World Rally Championship challenger

Hyundai Motorsport is entering rallying in a big way, as it unveiled its full team line-up in Offenbach, Germany. The venue is near team facilities in Alzenau.

The team looks promising, with Thierry Neuville as the lead driver, and Juho Hänninen driving the second i20 WRC at selected events. Dani Sordo and Chris Atkinson will partner Neuville at several events, with Sordo running at Monte Carlo and Atkinson for Rally Australia. Hyundai has aligned with sponsors such as Shell—the team will be known as Hyundai Shell World Rally Team.

“I am really excited at the prospect of helping Hyundai Motorsport to integrate itself into the tough WRC environment,” said Thierry Neuville. “It is an honour to be representing a manufacturer like Hyundai Motor Company but also to have the extra responsibility of leading the team in our first season. I am looking forward to Monte Carlo. I can already feel the professionalism, motivation and passion of this team so although it will be a steep learning curve, I am sure it will be a positive one.”

Hyundai has put together its WRC challenger at speed, since the i20 WRC was launched at the Paris Motor Show in September 2012. Assembled from scratch, Hyundai Motorsport has since built two rally cars using more than 90 staff from 18 nationalities, including motorsport specialists and the company’s own experts.
 

Publicly, it proclaims its primary target is merely to finish each rally event with two cars, and gather data for subsequent years. But we all know what racing is about, right?

The team will make its race debut at the 2014 FIA WRC race at Monte Carlo in January.