Hyundai World Rally Team Sweeps 1st and 2nd Place at WRC Italy Rally

Estonia, Turkey Rally Followed by 3 Consecutive Double Podiums

The Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC rally car running at the 6th round of the '2020 World Rally Championship' held in Italy (Photo by Hyundai)

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Ji-hee] Hyundai Motor Company swept 1st and 2nd place simultaneously at the Italy Rally, the 6th round of the World Rally Championship (WRC), achieving a three consecutive double podium finishes following the Estonia and Turkey rallies.

Hyundai announced on the 12th that Dani Sordo, a member of the Hyundai World Rally Team, won first place and Thierry Neuville took second place at the ‘2020 WRC’ 6th round held over three days from the 9th to the 11th in Sardinia, Italy. With this, Hyundai lifted the winner’s trophy for the fourth time in the history of the Italy Rally and set a record of standing on the podium for six consecutive years since 2015.

Dani Sordo, along with the i20 Coupe WRC race car, took the lead on the first day and did not allow a single reversal until the last stage, finishing at the top with a time of 2 hours 41 minutes 37.5 seconds. His teammate Thierry Neuville also fiercely competed for second place and secured the runner-up position by overtaking in the last stage. The difference with S?bastien Ogier of the Toyota team, who finished third, was only one second.

With this win and runner-up, Hyundai added the maximum points for a single race, 43 points (25 points for 1st place, 18 points for 2nd place), accumulating 208 points and reclaiming the lead in the 2020 WRC manufacturers’ championship. Toyota, which took 3rd and 4th place in this race, dropped to second place with 201 points.

At the 6th round of the '2020 World Rally Championship' held in Italy, Hyundai World Rally Team's Dani Sordo (right) and co-driver Carlos del Barrio (left) stood on the podium after winning the race. Photo by Hyundai.

Hyundai cited the optimization of the i20 Coupe WRC race car’s performance to suit the local road surface covered with thin and soft sand as the secret to standing on the podium at the Italy Rally. As a result, Hyundai placed more than half of the top 8 cars in this competition, with 5 cars ranking.

Hyundai, the ‘defending champion’ who won the overall manufacturers’ championship in the 2019 WRC, has taken a step closer to achieving back-to-back WRC victories this year. The 2020 WRC now has only two rounds left. The 7th round will be held in Belgium from November 19, about a month later.

Andrea Adamo, Hyundai team director, said, “We are most pleased to have taken 1st and 2nd place in Italy and simultaneously regained the lead in the manufacturers’ championship,” adding, “We will prepare without any setbacks for the remaining two rallies to achieve Hyundai’s back-to-back WRC victories.”

Meanwhile, Hyundai’s sales race car i30 N TCR won the third final race of the 2020 WTCR 3rd round held at the Slovakia Ring circuit in Slovakia during the same period. In this final race, Nicky Catsburg of the Engstler Hyundai N Liqui Moly Racing Team took first place. Earlier, in the first final race of the same competition, Gabriel Taquini of the BRC Hyundai N Lukoil Squadra Corse team recorded second place. Hyundai’s i30 N TCR won the overall driver and team championships when WTCR was launched in 2018.

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