Double podium for Hyundai at the Rally Sweden

Hyundai

Hyundai Motorsport claimed a double podium at Rally Sweden, round 2 of the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) 2023, after an outstanding performance by all three crews throughout the rally.

The "Gods of Speed" held an exciting and entertaining race with the Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid on extremely spectacular special stages.

At the end of the 18 special stages of the race, the Craig Breen and James Fulton won their first podium by taking second place and finishing ahead of their teammates Thierry Neuville and Martijn Wydaeghe.

The Belgians finished a thrilling rally with determination in 3rd place after a tough first day. The result marks the Neuville's 50th podium in WRC with Hyundai Motorsport in the team's tenth season in the championship.

Esapekka Lappi and Janne Ferm, respectively, finished the rally with a strong Power Stage win.

Notes crew: Craig Breen/James Fulton (#42 Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid)

Dynamic performance by the Irish crew securing their first podium for 2023
WRC podium debut for Fulton and fifth overall with Breen at Hyundai Motorsport

Breen said: "Getting back to WRC wins was great. I've said many times this weekend that I've missed that feeling, but to come back after a difficult period with a podium is exciting. It's also James' first podium, which is fantastic for him as well. We are very proud of what we have achieved here in Sweden. I would like to thank the team for their confidence in us and their excellent work."

Notes crew: Thierry Neuville/Martijn Wydaeghe (#11 Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid)

Second podium of the season for the Belgian crew after a stunning run
Five victories in special stages brought them to third place with an amazing performance

Neuville said: "After a difficult Friday, I didn't expect this great result. Our preparation for the race was limited as I was ill, so to finish third was incredible. It was a strong rally for our team, with all three crews putting in excellent performances. With Craig/James taking second place and Esapekka/Janne scoring five points on the Power Stage, we achieved some excellent results over the weekend."

Crew notes: Esapekka Lappi/Janne Ferm (#4 Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid)

Winning the Power Stage gave the Finns an impressive weekend.

Lappi said: "There are a lot of positives to take from this weekend. We had a good preparation and although the result was not what we wanted we kept a steady pace. We aimed for the fastest time on the Power Stage and managed to gain important extra points. We need to build on this for Mexico, even if it's a completely different rally."

Team Principal, Mr. Cyril Abiteboul, said: "It was a great way for us to finish the Rally Sweden. We had a tough start on Thursday, but then we built a lot of momentum. We scored 10 wins in 18 special stages, which shows that our team, car and crews were very competitive. Craig was just outstanding all weekend, in terms of his speed and performance, but also in understanding the team's philosophy. Overall, we achieved a tremendous team result."

The 2023 WRC season travels to Mexico on 16-19 March 2023 for round 3 of the championship. Rally Mexico returns to the calendar for the first time since 2020 and will again be based in León, northwest of Mexico City.

Overall Ranking - Rally Sweden

1	O. Tänak	M. Järveoja	Ford Puma Rally1 Hybrid	2:25:54.5
2	C. Breen	J. Fulton	Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid	+18.7
3	T. Neuville	M. Wydaeghe	Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid	+20.0
4	K. Rovanperä	J. Halttunen	Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 Hybrid	+25.1
5	E. Evans	S. Martin	Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 Hybrid	+1:24.0
6	P. L. Loubet	N. Gilsoul	Ford Puma Rally1 Hybrid	+5:59.0
7	E. Lapland	J. Ferm	Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid	+7:42.4
8	O. Solberg	E. Edmondson	Škoda Fabia RS	+7:48.1
9	O. Veiby	T. Eriksen	Volkswagen Polo GTI	+8:30.4
10	S. Pajari	E. Mälkönen	Škoda Fabia RS	+9:03.2