Hyundai Motorsport’s New Generation i20 R5 completed a trouble-free weekend at the Ypres Rally (June 22-25), the event marking the first public appearance of the new car.
The Customer Racing department took advantage of five days of running in western Belgium, ending with the New Generation i20 R5 taking on the role of VIP Car for the rally, the fifth round of this year’s European Rally Championship (ERC). The time on the stages allowed the team to continue the development of the car with high speed runs on narrow roads typical of the famous event.
The team arrived at the Ypres Rally after two days of testing around the Flanders city. The gathering of rallying media for the weekend gave the Customer Racing department the opportunity to introduce the press to the New Generation i20 R5. Journalists were given first-hand experience of the car’s capabilities from the co-driver’s seat alongside Kevin Abbring on a short stage.
Carrying the livery chosen from the entries of last month’s competition the New Generation i20 R5 was an unmissable presence on the stages and in the Service Park. The car immediately gathered plenty of attention from fans, media and potential customers alike who were all interested to see the car perform at an event for the first time.
In changeable conditions across the five days the New Generation i20 R5 completed over 400km, half at the head of the ERC field. The running continued to expand the range of locations the Customer Racing department have tested on, with the fast, narrow roads and deep cuts of the unique Ypres Rally stages placing unique demands on a car’s handling transmission and handling characteristics.
The excitement around the New Generation i20 R5 for the weekend was an obvious positive, and added to the programme’s building momentum towards the planned homologation. However, the team’s focus remained on continuing their work, developing Hyundai Motorsport’s first car designed for customers.
Customer Racing Manager Andrea Adamo said: “The New Generation i20 R5 is a very important project for Hyundai Motorsport so it was great to see all the interest in the car throughout the weekend at the Ypres Rally. To feel the excitement there is in the rallying community for our car is really encouraging. Of course, though, our appearance on the stages was all about continuing the development of the car. This event is always an exciting rally, and this year certainly didn’t disappoint. We are very happy with the performance of the car compared to the fastest crews in the rally. That our car completed the weekend trouble-free and with competitive times is a testament to the quality of the car we have produced. The results of the weekend, together with the feedback from Kevin, will allow us to better focus our development as we aim to make the most of the remaining time we have before our customers will take the New Generation i20 R5 out to compete.”
Press release Hyundai Motorsport
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