WRC – Thierry Neuville holds an 11.9-second advantage over Sébastien Ogier

Hyundai Motorsport has enjoyed a solid start to Rally Argentina, the fifth round of the 2019 FIA World Rally Championship, as the team emerged from a tricky opening day in the rally lead.

Thierry Neuville moved up to the top spot after setting the fastest time on Friday’s final stage. The Belgian and co-driver Nicolas Gilsoul hold an 11.9-second advantage over second-placed Sébastien Ogier and 13.4-seconds from Ott Tänak in third.

Andreas Mikkelsen and Anders Jæger-Amland finished Friday’s running in fifth, taking a stage win and fighting back from a morning puncture. Dani Sordo and Carlos del Barrio dropped down to seventh after losing time in a ditch on the final stage.

Rally Argentina began in fitting style on Thursday evening with a super special on the streets of Villa Carlos Paz. Despite wet weather conditions, the fans enjoyed a thrilling spectacle as the trio of Hyundai i20 Coupe WRCs completed their first competitive kilometres of the rally.

As a result of the heavy rain, Friday’s itinerary covered a shorter distance than scheduled; SS3 (Amboy/Yacanto 29.85km) was cancelled on the grounds of safety due to poor road conditions on the liaison sections.

Still, crews had plenty of challenging stages to negotiate on the first complete leg. A 16.65km run through Las Bajadas/Villa del Dique and the 23.44km Santa Rosa/San Agustin test made up the curtailed morning loop, followed by a short run through the Fernet Branca super special at lunchtime.

Organisers were able to run the afternoon stages as planned, allowing teams to get their first taste of the 29.85km Amboy/Yacanto. Conditions remained complicated throughout the day with wet, muddy roads requiring a careful and meticulous approach.

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

• Leading the rally by 11.9-seconds after an eventful start to the rally
• Stage win in SS4 and SS8 (Santa Rosa / San Agustin)

Neuville said: “We didn’t really expect to be leading this rally at the end of the first day, especially considering our starting position as first on the road. It’s a pleasant surprise but it has been a complicated day with tricky conditions. We know things will be equally challenging as the weekend continues. Even with the wet weather, there were times when it was better to be earlier on the road and other stages when it was not. The car has performed well today and we are in the fight, so we will do what we can to defend our lead on Saturday.”

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

• Stage win in SS5 (Fernet Branca), leading Hyundai Motorsport 1-2
• Resilient performance keeps Norwegians in the mix

Mikkelsen said: “We had a good morning loop and were able to set some encouraging times. The only issue was a puncture in SS4. Anders noticed we had a front-left issue after 5km into the stage so we took it carefully after that so we didn’t lose the tyre off the rim. We were lucky, and were able to remain in the fight. I was happy not to lose more time to be honest. It’s been a bit of an up and down day, and by the end of the afternoon loop I really felt that our starting position was hurting us. Saturday we will be more in the middle of the pack, so we will hopefully fare better.” 

Crew Notes: Dani Sordo/Carlos del Barrio (#6 Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC)

• Second place in SS6 (Las Bajadas / Villa del Dique)
• Despite a late setback, Spaniards remain close to the chasing pack

Sordo said: “The day had been going quite OK and we were having more fun on the stages than I thought we would be able to in these conditions. Some of the stages were so difficult to read; you didn’t really know what speed was possible. We tried to push a bit harder in the afternoon and the times were good until the final stage. We went into a ditch in a slow corner and had to reverse out, so we lost some time there. Not the greatest way to end but tomorrow’s another day.”

Team Director Andrea Adamo: “It has been a tough start to the rally for all competitors. While it is always good to be in the rally lead, we have to remember this is just day one. There are lots of demanding stages to run on Saturday and Sunday; we’ve seen just how easy it is to run into trouble, so we can’t get too excited. Our crews have done their job well today, making the most of any opportunities and not losing too much time even when things haven’t gone to plan. Focus and concentration will be important as this rally evolves.”

Saturday at a glance

• Saturday’s schedule includes a repeat loop of three stages split by a repeat of the Fernet Branca super special at lunchtime.
• Tanti-Mataderos (13.92km) gets the day underway, followed by Mataderos-Cuchilla Nevada (22.67km) and Cuchilla Nevada – Characato (33.65km) in quick succession.
• A total of 146.52km is scheduled to be run on the penultimate day, offering crews plenty of opportunities to change the classification.

Classification after Day One

Press release Hyundai Motorsport