Hyundai Motor World Rally Team Achieves Double Podium at Finland Arctic Rally

The Hyundai Motor 'i20 Coupe WRC' rally car driving in the second round of the '2021 World Rally Championship' at the Arctic Rally Finland.

[Asia Economy Reporter Changhwan Lee] Hyundai Motor Company announced on the 1st that it achieved victory and a double podium (two drivers from one team finishing within the top 3) at the Finland Arctic Rally, the second round of the 2021 World Rally Championship (WRC) season, held from the 26th to the 28th of last month (local time) in Rovaniemi, northern Finland.

The Hyundai World Rally Team participated in this event with three drivers: Ott T?nak, Thierry Neuville, and Craig Breen, all competing in the ‘i20 Coupe WRC’ race car.

The Arctic Rally, the first WRC event held within the Arctic Circle, took place near Rovaniemi, the administrative capital and commercial center of Lapland, Finland’s northernmost region. Known as the hometown of Santa Claus, Rovaniemi’s winter temperatures dropping to minus 30 degrees Celsius and its short daylight hours presented a unique and harsh challenge for both the race cars and drivers, the company explained.

Additionally, the WRC season opener, Rallye Monte Carlo, featured a mix of snowy and paved roads, making tire strategy a major factor in the competition. However, at the Arctic Rally, where all participants drove on frozen snow-covered roads, all drivers used studded snow tires with metal spikes embedded in the rubber, making the performance of the race cars themselves a more decisive factor.

The podium finishers at the second round of the 2021 World Rally Championship held in northern Finland. From the right in the photo: co-driver Martijn Wydaeghe, who placed third; driver Thierry Neuville; winning driver Ott T?nak; Executive Director of Hyundai Motor Sports Division Seungwook Noh; co-driver Martin J?rveoja; driver Kalle Rovanper?, who placed second; and co-driver Jonne Halttunen. Photo by XXX

Ott T?nak Wins Without Losing the Lead Even Once

From the start of the event, Hyundai’s Ott T?nak took the lead and maintained it flawlessly throughout the race, delivering the team’s first WRC victory of 2021. Despite the snow-covered course, T?nak’s average speed during the Arctic Rally reached 121.66 km/h, with top speeds exceeding 190 km/h.

His Hyundai teammates Thierry Neuville and Craig Breen also showcased the overwhelming performance of the i20 Coupe WRC race car by finishing in 3rd and 4th places respectively in the harsh conditions.

The 2nd place was claimed by Toyota’s Kalle Rovanper?, while 2020 WRC Drivers’ Champion S?bastien Ogier finished 20th after an accident in the final stage on Saturday. With this victory, Hyundai and Ott T?nak set a new record as the first winners of the WRC Arctic Rally.

Including this win and the double podium, Hyundai added 47 points to their manufacturer’s total, narrowing the gap to the leading Toyota team to 11 points and maintaining 2nd place in the manufacturer standings.

Drivers Ott T?nak and Thierry Neuville earned 27 and 18 points respectively in this event, placing them 5th and 2nd in the overall driver rankings. This brings Hyundai closer to their goal of achieving a third consecutive manufacturer championship and, for the first time, securing the drivers’ championship title. The gap between the leader Rovanper? and 2nd place Neuville is only 4 points.

A Hyundai Motor Company official stated, “We perfectly completed the Finland Arctic Rally in 1st, 3rd, and 4th places without a single retirement, fully making up for the disappointment of the season opener at Rallye Monte Carlo. Based on the powerful driving performance of the i20 Coupe WRC rally car, we will do our best in the remaining schedule to achieve the great feat of winning three consecutive WRC championships.”

Meanwhile, the 2021 WRC is scheduled to be held over a total of 12 rounds. Including this Arctic Rally, several countries such as Croatia, Belgium, Kenya (Safari), and Japan, which are either new or returning to the calendar, are lined up, promising fiercely competitive races with unpredictable outcomes. The upcoming 3rd round of the 2021 WRC is scheduled to take place in Croatia from April 22.

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