Hyundai Motor Company Wins 2020 WRC Estonia Rally

Hyundai Motor World Rally Team Secures 1st and 2nd Place on Podium

At the 4th round of the 2020 World Rally Championship held in Tartu, Estonia from the 4th to the 6th, the Hyundai 'i20 Coupe WRC' rally car was seen racing (Photo by Hyundai).

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Ji-hee] Hyundai Motor Company won the Estonia Rally, the first-ever event held in the history of the World Rally Championship (WRC). This rally is especially significant as it marked the resumption of the championship after a six-month hiatus due to the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), and it was also the 600th round since the WRC began in 1973.

Hyundai announced on the 7th that Ott T?nak, a driver for the Hyundai World Rally Team, won the 4th round of the 2020 WRC held from the 4th to the 6th in Tartu, Estonia. This victory was T?nak's first since transferring to Hyundai at the end of last year. His teammate Craig Breen finished second, trailing by 22.2 seconds, while Toyota’s S?bastien Ogier took third place.

At the 4th round of the 2020 World Rally Championship held in Tartu, Estonia from the 4th to the 6th, Hyundai World Rally Team's Ott T?nak and co-driver Martin J?rveoja are celebrating their victory. (Photo by Hyundai)

The 2020 WRC was suspended after the 3rd round held in Mexico in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The WRC organizers adjusted the remaining schedule to resume the competition, and in this process, the Estonia Rally was included in the WRC calendar for the first time ever as the 4th round. Consequently, Estonia became the 33rd country to host a WRC event. The 6th round is scheduled to take place in Turkey starting on the 18th of this month, two weeks later.

As this was the first time the WRC was held in Estonia, most drivers faced difficulties due to unfamiliarity with the course. The course itself consisted of high-speed corners and jump sections on unpaved surfaces.

With this result, Hyundai added 43 points to their manufacturer’s overall score, narrowing the gap with the leading Toyota World Rally Team from 21 points to just 5 points, maintaining their second-place position. Ott T?nak also earned 28 points in this rally, securing 3rd place in the driver standings. The gap with the leader, Ogier, was reduced to 13 points.

Hyundai attributed their success in this rally to optimizing the condition of the i20 WRC Coupe race car to suit the fast course and consecutive jump sections. Andrea Adamo, Hyundai team principal, said, “We are pleased that Ott T?nak has achieved his first victory with our team in his hometown.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.