Hyundai Motorsport has enjoyed another encouraging day at Rally Finland

Hyundai Motorsport continues to find improved form on the high-speed gravel stages of Rally Finland, round nine of the 2019 FIA World Rally Championship (WRC), ending the penultimate day with its crews involved in an incredibly close battle for fourth position.

Andreas Mikkelsen leads the Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team charge in fourth place after another competitive day for the Norwegians, which ended with the team’s fourth stage win of the weekend.

Craig Breen and Paul Nagle picked up where they left off on Friday with some more standout moments in the Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC; they finished Saturday just 8.6 seconds behind their team-mates in sixth place. Belgians Thierry Neuville and Nicolas Gilsoul, meanwhile, moved up a spot on the overall classification to seventh.

Saturday’s itinerary, the longest day distance of the weekend by total stage distance at almost 133km, covered some familiar roads. A loop of four stages – Pihlajakoski (14.42km), Päijälä (22.87km), Kakaristo (18.70km) and Leustu (10.50km) – was run twice, separated by lunchtime service at Jyväskylä.

In typical Finnish style, the pace was ferocious and relentless with tenths-of-a-second making a massive difference on the standings. Mikkelsen had been embroiled in a cat-and-mouse fight with Sébastien Ogier throughout the day, the pair swapping positions after almost each stage, with Breen right on their tails. It promises to be a tight scrap for fourth place on the final morning with the top-three contenders seemingly out of reach. 

Crew Notes: Andreas Mikkelsen/Anders Jæger-Amland (#89 Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC)

• Norwegians end Saturday as the leading Hyundai Motorsport crew in fourth
• Top-three times on both Kakaristo stages and stage win in SS19 (Leustu)

Mikkelsen said: “It has been an epic fight, with positions changing hands back and forth throughout the day. I’ve enjoyed it, competing with everything we have on some truly beautiful stages. It’s been really cool. The car has given me all the confidence I need on both loops. We made a few adjustments to our pace notes for the afternoon, specifically for the wider sections, and although it was rough at times we gave it our maximum. The second run through Kakaristo was just what we needed to keep hold of fourth place. Following that up with our second stage win of the weekend was perfect. A lot of fun!”

Crew Notes: Craig Breen/Paul Nagle (#42 Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC)

• Irish crew continue to impress on their WRC debut with Hyundai Motorsport
• Fighting inside the top-six with impressive tenacity and spirit

Breen said: “There were a few more struggles compared to yesterday, mainly on the narrower sections where I lacked confidence. I’ve never had such a stable car so it takes time to get used to committing fully. SS17 was a particular highlight today; there was not a millimetre left out on the stage and I think it was one of the best stages of my entire career. We didn’t end the day so positively, unfortunately. We lowered the ride height of the car for the last stage but the conditions were rougher than we expected so we lost a bit of time. We are still in a close battle and there are plenty of positives from today.”

Crew Notes: Thierry Neuville/Nicolas Gilsoul (#11 Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC)

• An improved day on the Finnish stages for the Belgian crew
• Gained a position to seventh overall on the classification

Neuville said: “A much better feeling and a more positive day overall. Of course, the road cleaning has made life far from perfect but we’re trying to enjoy ourselves and work within the confines of what is possible. We lost too much time yesterday but everyone is pushing really hard and we have to keep an eye on the championship, rather than a single stage result. I don’t think we could have done much more today. The only slight disappointment was picking up a bit of rear damage late in the afternoon loop. Even if we’re not in the position we would like to be, we have to accept where we can make a difference, and salvage what we can from the weekend.”

Team Director Andrea Adamo: “I am a bit sad because I would have liked to have given a quicker car to our three crews today, one that reflected their amazing commitment and determination. Andreas, above all, has fought hard, refusing to give up when he was initially passed by Ogier and instead responding immediately. He showed impressive resilience and reclaimed time on stages where our car was perhaps a bit more competitive. We are now firmly in the fight for fourth but we are again reminded that we are still not at the level we need to be, and certainly not enough to challenge the top-three in this event.”

Sunday at a glance

• Four stages will be run on the final morning, a total of 45.74km
• The Laukaa (11.75km) and Ruuhimäki (11.12km) loop will be run twice, with the latter stage being repeated as the rally-concluding Power Stage.

Classification after Day Two

Press release Hyundai Motorsport