Manufacturer announcing its World Rally Championships team line-up
HYUNDAI Motorsport has unveiled its full team line-up at a special launch in Frankfurt recently as the manufacturer gears up for its debut in the 2014 FIA World Rally Championships (WRC) at Monte Carlo next month.
HYUNDAI Motorsport has unveiled its full team line-up at a special launch in Frankfurt recently as the manufacturer gears up for its debut in the 2014 FIA World Rally Championships (WRC) at Monte Carlo next month.
Hyundai Motorsport will compete as the Hyundai Shell World Rally Team and has set realistic targets for its debut season with the primary objective of finishing each rally event with two cars.
Going up against vastly more experienced WRC competitors, the team knows that it has a steep learning curve to climb, but it certainly relishes the challenge and will be aiming to compete for podium places during the season.
“We have worked tremendously hard to get where we are today and to be able to launch our new WRC team to the world,” said Michel Nandan, team principal of Hyundai Motorsport.
“In less than one year, we have built and tested a brand new WRC-specification car, the Hyundai i20 WRC, and established a professional team and modern motorsport facility.”
The launch event was held at the home of Hyundai Motor Europe in Offenbach, just a short drive from Hyundai Motorsport’s facility in Alzenau, where final preparations were taking place for the team’s rally debut. Over 150 journalists and guests attended the event to see the newly liveried Hyundai i20 WRC and team on display.
Thierry Neuville made his first public appearance in Hyundai Motorsport colours as the teams lead driver, while Juho Hänninen, who will drive the second i20 WRC at selected events, was also present.
It was also announced that both Dani Sordo and Chris Atkinson will partner Neuville at several events during the season, with Sordo running on Rallye Monte-Carlo and Atkinson confirmed for Rally Australia.
Hyundai Motor Company also used the occasion of its WRC launch to announce that Hyundai “N” would be used to symbolise Hyundai’s high performance technology on both the i20 WRC car and future mass-produced high performance cars.
Linked directly to the company’s renewed involvement in WRC, “N” brings together Hyundai Motor’s technology and innovation with the learning from motorsport to provide a new experience for customers.
Representing the company’s passion for high performance, “N” takes inspiration in both name and spirit from the Namyang R&D Centre that has collaborated with Hyundai Motorsport on the development of the i20 WRC.
Hyundai Motorsport has developed from scratch into a fully functioning motorsport team, defying the odds to build, test and prepare two rally cars ready to compete in 2014.
With more than 90 staff from 18 nationalities, made up of motorsport specialists and experienced Hyundai personnel, the team represents the perfect mix of Hyundai and motorsport ideals.
