Hyundai Motorsport delivered the first Hyundai i20 N Rally2 Customer Racing ahead of Ypres Rally Belgium (13-15/8), where the car will make its competitive debut in WRC 2 with new Hyundai Motorsport Customer Racing drivers Oliver Solberg and Jari Huttunen. This is a milestone event for Hyundai Motorsport and comes five years after the launch of the Hyundai i20 R5, which also made its first appearance at the Belgian rally, competing as a navigator in the then European Rally Championship round. Both Solberg and Huttunen will arrive at the race very well prepared, having completed their preparations with scheduled road tests before arriving at the service park.
Based on the model i20 N mass production, the new i20 N Rally2 features a completely new design intended for private teams and drivers around the world. Starting from a blank sheet of paper, the designers and engineers of the Customer Racing department have taken advantage of the undoubted strengths of the i20 R5, but have also put into practice the racing lessons learned from the previous five years. The result is a very strong integrated package that represents a significant step forward in every key design area - from performance and reliability to handling and drivability - after more than 3,000 kilometres of testing since late 2020.
The extensive test programme took place on gravel, tarmac and snow across Europe, as the Customer Racing department successfully sought to develop a car that would be equally powerful on all surfaces - not just for WRC 2, but for a wide range of national and international events where Rally2 has become the premier class.
With this clear goal of developing a car that can win any rally with any driver - regardless of experience level or personal driving style - the engineers drew on the expertise of the drivers, including Solberg and Huttunen as well as WRC drivers Craig Breen and Ott Tänak. Every driver who took part in the test team came away with a positive feeling about the new car, having left their own mark on the development of the final result.
"After such a challenging test programme with the Hyundai i20 N Rally2, its first race debut is a very important milestone for us. We know we have a strong integrated package thanks to the efforts of our designers and engineers and now we have the opportunity to prove it on the special stages. Both Oliver and Jari are well prepared for the Ypres Rally Belgium, having been actively involved throughout the entire testing phase. The extra preparation they have done with their teams before the special stages will give the final push to make sure everything is ready for the rally. Of course, Ypres Rally Belgium is just the beginning of our work to make the i20 N Rally2 available to the world."
- Andrew Johns, Hyundai Motorsport Customer Racing Manager
