Hyundai Motorsport claimed its second win of the 2016 FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) season with Thierry Neuville and Nicolas Gilsoul in Rally Italia Sardegna.
Neuville managed to win the rally by 24.8 seconds from Volkswagen Motorsport's Jari-Matti Latvala.
The result marks the second victory for the i20 WRC New Generation this season and the team's third win overall after Rallye Deutschland in 2014 and the Rally Argentina last April.
Dani Sordo and Marc Martí had a trouble-free presence in the last four stages on Sunday, finishing fourth for the fourth consecutive time and gaining 12 points in the championship. Kevin Abbring and Seb Marshall, meanwhile, were at the top of their game finishing second on the Power Stage and securing his first WRC points.
For Neuville (# 20 / i20 WRC New Generation), the win is the result of a concerted team effort and marks his first WRC victory since Germany in 2014. It is the most complete performance of his career, winning nine stages over the weekend and leading the rally continuously from SS7 on Friday.
Neuville commented: "It was a really fantastic weekend! Great things come to those who win them and it's certainly an amazing feeling this win to share with an amazing team. We've had some tough moments, like in Portugal, but we have a great partnership between us and the hard work has really paid off. This is an excellent result. The New Generation i20 WRC WRC performed very well this weekend. It was enjoyable to drive and we felt comfortable. We didn't feel too much pressure in the final stage this morning, but we focused on getting the car safely to the end. We did what we needed to do and were able to celebrate our second WRC win. Hopefully we can use this result as a springboard for the rest of the season. It's definitely good for our confidence. "
Sordo (# 4 / i20 WRC New Generation WRC) benefited from a good performance in Sardinia to continue his run in fourth place. He finished second in the WRC Drivers' Championship with 68 points so far this season. His 12 points this weekend gave the Hyundai Shell World Rally Team second place in the Constructors' Championship.
Sordo commented: "We knew that this Rally would be one of those that required a steady approach, so we did just that. It wasn't always easy and some stages were quite difficult, narrow and slippery, which doesn't really suit my style as much as other Rallies. On the stages we just wanted to avoid any problems and avoid any mistakes. I think we all did everything that was really possible this weekend. It's another fourth place, but I've moved up to second in the championship, which is fantastic. Congratulations to Thierry and Nicolas for their win, they deserved it and it's a great achievement for the whole team."
There were a lot of positives for Abbring (# 10 Hyundai i20 WRC) in Sardinia. He took the first WRC stage win on Saturday morning, helped the team on 1-2 stages in the afternoon and finished second on the Power Stage to score his maiden WRC points.
Abbring said: "The last day was a good day for us and it was a consolation to get my first WRC points on the Power Stage. We wanted to give it a little bit of a boost because over the weekend we hit confidence with the car. We had a few issues along the way, but it's really part of the long learning curve we've been on and we've come out of this weekend stronger. We've been working hard to find a rhythm and I really enjoyed the last stage. I think we have a nice set-up for the future. For the team, this weekend was a positive one and to get the win from Thierry and Nicola was a special moment. It shows what you can achieve with effort and teamwork, and that's why I'm very happy to be part of Hyundai Motorsport. I look forward to returning to the WRC stages in the next races of the season. "
Hyundai Motorsport has now claimed five podiums in the six races this season, with two wins, making this the team's most successful season in WRC before we even reached the midway point of the competition.
Mr Michel Nandan, Team Principal, commented: "Thierry and Nicola deserved this victory. It is a result that will give the whole team a real boost. There were some difficult phases, but we persevered and fought hard together as a team to overcome any problems. This result shows what can happen with hard work and determination. We have now taken two victories this season in the New Generation i20 WRC and recovered from Portugal, which was our target position. Dani has risen to second in the drivers' championship with a different approach to his driving this weekend. Congratulations to him as well. And Kevin, too, has again shown why he's considered to be an exciting young talent with an excellent Power Stage performance - and his first WRC points. We still have work to do, but we're filled with more excitement than ever to go on stronger in the WRC season. Poland will offer us a new set of challenges, but we'll be prepared. For now, though, we will enjoy this win as a team. "
The Rally Poland, round 7 of the FIA WRC, will take place from 30 June to 3 July 2016.
Overall Final Ranking
1. T. Neuville / N. Gilsoul (Hyundai New Generation i20 WRC) 3:35:25.8
2. J. M. Latvala / M. Anttila (Volkswagen Polo R WRC) +24.8
3. S. Ogier / J. Ingrassia (Volkswagen Polo R WRC) +1:37.8
4. D. Sordo / M. Marti (Hyundai New Generation i20 WRC) +2:54.0
5. O. Tanak / R. Molder (Ford Fiesta RS WRC) +5:26.4
6. E. Camilli / B. Veillas (Ford Fiesta RS WRC) +5:59.8
7. H. Solberg / I. Minor (Ford Fiesta RS WRC) +6:22.2
8. T. Suninen / M. Markkula (Škoda Fabia R5) +8:57.4
9. J. Kopecky / P. Dresler (Škoda Fabia R5) +9:47.0
10. K. Kruuda / M. Jarveoja (For Fiesta R5) +13:28.5
…
15. K. Abbring / S. Marshall (Hyundai i20 WRC) +23:40.6
FIA World Rally Championship 2016 drivers' ranking
S. Ogier 132 points / D. Sordo 68 / A. Mikkelsen 67 / M. Østberg 58 / H. Paddon 57 / J. M. Latvala 56 / T. Neuville 48 / O. Tanak 34 / K. Meeke 26 / E. Camilli 22 / H. Solberg 14 / S. Lefebvre 10 / M. Prokop 10 / T. Suninen 7 / E. Evans 6 / M. Ligato 6 / C. Breen 4 / L. Bertelli 4 / E. Lappi 2 / P. Tidemand 2 / K. Abbring 2 / J. Kopecky 2 / N. Fuchs 2 / A. Kremer 1 / V. Gorban 1 / K. Kruuda 1
FIA World Rally Championship Manufacturers' Ranking 2016 FIA World Rally Championship 2016
Volkswagen Motorsport 178 points / Hyundai Motorsport 108 / M-Sport World Rally Team 90 / Hyundai Motorsport N 78 / Volkswagen Motorsport II 74 / DMACK World Rally Team 40 / Jipocar Czech National Team 18 / Yazeed Racing 5
Rally Italia Sardegna
- Hyundai Motorsport took its third WRC victory of the year with Thierry Neuville finishing first in Rally Italia Sardegna
- Dani Sordo finished fourth for the fourth race in a row and took second place in the Drivers' Championship
- Kevin Abbring finished second on the Power Stage and scored two championship points - his first in the WRC.
