WRC - Sébastien Loeb scored his maiden podium in Hyundai Motorsport colours

Hyundai Motorsport has taken its sixth individual podium result of the 2019 FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) with Sébastien Loeb and co-driver Daniel Elena claiming third position after an exciting battle with Sébastien Ogier.

Loeb’s first podium for Hyundai Motorsport was hard earned and well deserved as he continually improved his pace and performance throughout the weekend. Moving up from eighth place at the end of Friday’s opening stage, the Frenchman emerged as a credible threat to second-placed Ogier on the final morning.

Sunday’s itinerary covered the 14.41km Bio Bio, 18.06km Lircay and 15.28km San Nicolas stages. Bio Bio was repeated after regroup and technical zone as the Power Stage.

Andreas Mikkelsen finished in seventh place, scoring a few manufacturer points, but it was a contrasting weekend for the Norwegian after his podium finish in Argentina. Thierry Neuville could not participate in the rally on Sunday following his crash on Saturday’s SS8 (Maria Las Cruces). He will return at Rally de Portugal in a few weeks’ time.

The Rally Chile result sees a change at the top of the drivers’ classification with the non-scoring Neuville dropping down to third with a 12-point deficit to Ogier and two points to Ott Tänak. In the manufacturers’ Hyundai Motorsport continues to lead the way, with a strong advantage of 29 points.

Crew Notes: Sébastien Loeb/Daniel Elena (#19 Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC)

First podium result as a Hyundai Motorsport crew
Move up into top-six of the 2019 drivers’ championship

Loeb said: “Rally Chile has been a difficult but enjoyable and productive event from my point of view. It’s been a long time since I’ve felt so comfortable inside a car that I can be in the game. The Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC has given me that feeling and it shows we are heading in the right direction. There was no chance to catch Ogier in the Power Stage; I was happy to be battling with him but the gap was too big today. We’ve scored some important points for the team, and I am pleased to be able to support their defence of the championship title. ”

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

Finished in seventh place after aggressive pace notes
Supported the team’s push for manufacturer points

Mikkelsen said: “This rally has been a real disappointment after the high that we had in Argentina. I am sure we can pinpoint the error back to the recce. We took very aggressive pace notes, and following a few small moments, I was never truly able to trust the notes as much as we need to. In the end we were in a bit of no man’s land, so we took a cautious approach and focused on making improvements for the future. We look forward to the next rally. » Team Director Andrea Adamo: “Sébastien and Daniel have done a great job this weekend to take their first podium as a Hyundai Motorsport crew. All weekend, they have been keeping us feeling young, back to the sort of performance level that reminds us of his best years. He has done an amazing rally and really helped to keep our championship aspirations alive. The result helps us to minimise the damage to an extent but when you consider the accident of Thierry and Nicolas, things are certainly not as bad as they could have been. For that we are thankful.”

Next Rally

The WRC’s gravel challenges continue at round 7, Rally de Portugal, that takes place from May 30-June 2.
Team return to Europe after the South American double-header, all eager to fight for victory as the season reaches its halfway point.

Final Overall Classification – Rally Chile

1	O. Tänak	M. Järveoja	Toyota Yaris WRC	3:15:53.8
2	S. Ogier	J. Ingrassia	Citroën C3 WRC	+23.1
3	S. Loeb	D. Elena	Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC	+30.2
4	E. Evans	S. Martin	Ford Fiesta WRC	+1:36.7
5	T. Suninen	M. Salminen	Ford Fiesta WRC	+3:15.6
6	E. Lappi	J. Ferm	Citroën C3 WRC	+3:45.4
7	A. Mikkelsen	A. Jæger-Amland	Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC	+4:39.0
8	K. Meeke	S. Marshall	Toyota Yaris WRC	+7:33.4
9	K. Rovanperä	J. Halttunen	Škoda Fabia R5	+7:52.5
19	M. Østberg	T. Eriksen	Citroën C3 R5	+8:16.1