WRC – Hyundai Motorsport hunts down Rally Argentina lead on penultimate day

Hyundai Motorsport finds itself firmly in the hunt for victory in Rally Argentina this weekend after a much stronger performance on Saturday saw Thierry Neuville reduce the gap to leader Elfyn Evans to just 11.5 seconds.

Alongside co-driver Nicolas Gilsoul, Neuville took two more stage wins (one shared with Ott Tanak) on Saturday, including a dominant performance in the final stage – the second run through Boca del Arroyo-Bajo del Pungo. They will head into the last morning holding second place and with positive momentum as they chase a consecutive victory after Tour de Corse.

Hayden Paddon has moved up into sixth place overall, having shown competitive pace on Saturday. Dani Sordo, having lost a chunk of time on Friday, found himself first on the road today, which prevented him from making the most of his Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC. Even so, the Spaniard holds a top-ten position overall.

All set for a thriller

Saturday’s schedule included a total of six stages, a repeated loop of the 20.80km Tanti-Villa Bustos, 38.68km Los Gigantes – Cantera El Condor and 20.52km Boca del Arroyo – Bajo del Punto tests. The day wasn’t without its challenges but it was a far more confident and representative performance by all three Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team crews.

With Neuville chasing down the rally leader, while also looking to defend his own position from Ott Tanak, Sunday is set to be a thriller.  Rally Argentina has already proven itself to be a rally of attrition; so all eyes will be on the concluding three stages to see what will happen next.

Crew Notes: Neuville/Gilsoul (#5 Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC)

Neuville and Gilsoul started the day in third place overall with a one-minute deficit, but quickly moved up to second in the morning loop. They continued to close the gap to the leader as the day progressed. They have now scored 23 stage wins in the opening five rallies, and will be aiming to fight for a second win of the season on Sunday.

Neuville commented: “We couldn’t have asked for more from our Saturday. The day didn’t start too well after I got caught out on the opening stage, and picked up a puncture. Things improved after that and we were able to catch Mads to extend our grasp on second place. The balance of the car was good and for the most part I felt comfortable. We gave a bit of a push in the final stages to try and reduce the gap to Elfyn, which we were able to do. The aim is always to win but it’s going to be a tough fight, not only for the victory but also to defend our current position from those chasing behind us. We will see what happens!”

Crew Notes: Paddon/Kennard (#4 Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC)

Paddon and co-driver John Kennard tried to put the disappointment of Friday’s roll behind them. The Kiwi crew were on competitive pace for much of the day, even if a broken roll bar on the afternoon loop hampered their progress. Still, they were able to claim two top-three stage times and move into the top-six overall.

Paddon said: “I was happy with our speed in the morning loop, considering our road position. We had a good feeling in the car and were preparing to push in the afternoon. A broken roll bar in the first stage of the repeat loop was definitely not what we wanted. We had to fix that and in doing so we were six minutes late to check-in for the following stage, incurring a time penalty. Generally, though, the stages today were smooth, flowing and enjoyable to drive. There was still a bit of frustration over what happened on Friday because without that we could have been in the fight for second place – and, from there, who knows what could have happened. We can’t dwell on that, though. We will instead aim to finish the rally strongly and secure some valuable Championship points for a top-six finish.”

Crew Notes: Sordo/Martí (#6 Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC)

After their Friday woes, Sordo and co-driver Marc Martí set about trying to enjoy the remaining stages of the rally. Starting first on the road meant that the Spaniards were at a disadvantage but they persevered. With other crews struggling during the day, they have now moved up to ninth overall.

Sordo said: “Being first on the road today made it almost impossible to set good times, but these are the rules. We’ve had very little luck this weekend, but I am sure it will be better next time. We simply wanted to go out there and enjoy ourselves. We have benefited from other crews’ misfortune to make up some positions, and we are now inside the top-ten. Tomorrow, we will adopt a similar approach, trying to bring the car home safely and then look forward to Portugal.”

Too close to call

Hyundai Motorsport will head into Sunday’s final stages with fond memories of twelve months ago when Paddon claimed victory after a stunning Power Stage performance.

Team Principal Michel Nandan said: “That was another dramatic day in Rally Argentina! Thankfully, we were more on the side of good fortune than bad today. Thierry fought valiantly to make his way up into second place overall, and did what was required of him to reduce the gap to Evans when the opportunity presented itself. Eleven seconds is far from an insurmountable deficit to overturn – and we will be hoping to fight for the win on Sunday. The Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC has certainly shown to be a competitive car on these tough Argentina stages, so we want to end the rally on a high with all three of our crews. With Hayden in sixth place, we will be pushing for a healthy haul of Championship points tomorrow. It won’t be easy – but it will definitely make for an exciting finale to this rally!”

Sunday at a Glance

Three challenging stages remain on the final day of Rally Argentina, totalling 55.28km.

The 16.32 El Condor – Copina test will get things underway followed by the equally demanding 22.64km Mina Clavero – Giulio Cesare.

The iconic El Condor will create a thrilling final Power Stage with all still to play for and plenty of points up for grabs.

Overall Classification after Day Two

Press release Hyundai Motorsport