Hyundai Might Enter WRC with i20

[visran]

Hyundai is planning to have one of their hot hatches in the competition next year.

Hyundai is planning to return to the World Rally Championship next year using a racer based on the i20. The reports came in after component suppliers to the secret project spilled the beans to the media. Motorsport events help manufacturers gain information which can be used improve the dynamic properties of the car. After owning a few Hyundais in my family, I can’t stress the need for Hyundai to make their cars more involving to drive. Especially on the i20, the steering and suspension systems feel isolated from the driver and the WRC program could give Hyundai lessons on how to add a dose of excitement to the drivability of their smaller hatches. Take away or no take away, this is a special moment for Hyundai i20 owners.


Read more: Hyundai to enter the 2013 WRC with a heavily modified i20?

 

[Umang]

well be ready to see toppled i20s then! IMHO wrc spec i20 resembles to TRD etios liva. isn't it??

 

[visran]

Wow That's a sweet looking car.

 

[350Z]

Hyundai’s Motorsport unit has accelerated the development of i20 WRC:

> Homologation process started for i20 WRC

> Total of 15 days of testing on gravel and tarmac during October

> Juho Hänninen, Bryan Bouffier and Chris Atkinson alternated behind the wheel at tests in Spain & Germany.

As the start of the 2014 FIA World Rally Championship season rapidly approaches, Hyundai Motorsport continued to prepare for its upcoming challenge during October, testing the i20 WRC for a total of 15 days and driving more than 1000km on both gravel and tarmac.

“This month was exceptionally busy for us: we were out testing the i20 WRC on both surfaces for more than half of the month, with our three test drivers swapping the seat on four separate test sessions. We now have two latest-spec i20 WRC, which allows us to further intensify the development schedule by alternating between the two chassis,” said Hyundai Motorsport Team Principal Michel Nandan. “Overall, it was a positive month as we managed to test new parts, try different set-up solutions and cover some good mileage with the car.”

October’s testing kicked off with a four-day gravel test in the south of Spain where the team continued to assess the behaviour of the i20 WRC in warm weather conditions with both Juho Hänninen and Chris Atkinson on duty. “During this test we took the opportunity to continue the development of the car on gravel conditions, similar to the ones we will find in Portugal and Sardinia next year. We tried several configurations for these kinds of terrains and evaluated some new components which we hadn’t tested before,” explained Nandan.

The Hyundai Motorsport team then moved from the south of Spain up to the Catalonia region for a five-day gravel test. This was followed by a tarmac test in Baumholder, Germany, home of the iconic Arena Panzerplatte, which forms part of Rallye Deutschland’s itinerary.

“After concentrating on loose surfaces in the first part of October, we took the i20 WRC to tarmac for a test on the same conditions of Rallye Deutschland. We had some new suspension parts to try as we hadn’t tested on tarmac since August,” Nandan continued.

In the final week of October, the team continues tarmac development in Catalonia on the roads of Rally de España, the penultimate round of the WRC, which was held last week. “Testing on the same roads as the rally allows us to start to have some references on the stages we will tackle next year,” concluded Nandan. This month marked also the beginning of another important process for the Hyundai Motorsport team. The dossier for the homologation of the i20 WRC needs to be compiled and lodged by the FIA by the end of October.

​

Drive Safe,
350Z

 

[rishike007]

Finally i20 in WRC...

When I searched for hatches which are in India and WRC, I got only two and that were Punto abarth and Polo GT.

But i20 is the car which is launched in India before entering in WRC.