Hyundai Motorsport fights to the finish with both cars in Rallye Monte-Carlo

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  Hyundai Motorsport has brought the opening round of the 2015 FIA World Rally Championship to a positive conclusion with both cars finishing the rally in the top six
  
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  Thierry Neuville and Dani Sordo were involved in a fierce fight for fifth place with Neuville taking the honours on the final stage by 0.8s
  
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  Hyundai Motorsport has achieved its objectives for this season-opening rally by securing a two-car finish, demonstrating a significant improvement compared to twelve months ago.
  

The Hyundai Shell World Rally Team drivers Thierry Neuville and Dani Sordo have been embroiled in one of the closest battles of the entire rally, as they fought for fifth place right up to the final stage of the rally (SS15 - Col St. Jean-St. Laurent – 10.16km). Just 0.2s separated the team-mates heading into the Power Stage but it was Neuville who eventually took the position by 0.8s.

For Neuville, the result actually represents his first ever finish in Monte-Carlo. The Belgian has made steady improvements over the course of the rally, gaining more and more confidence with each day. Third place in Saturday’s 36.85km Sisteron-Thoard stage led to fourth in the first run of Col St. Jean-St. Laurent and third quickest through the iconic Col de Turini (SS14 – La Bollène Vésubie-Sospel – 31.66km) this morning. A strong final push in the Power Stage secured him a well-deserved top five result in the opening rally of Hyundai Motorsport’s second season in WRC.

Neuville commented: “It feels great to have completed my first Rallye Monte-Carlo. It’s an unbelievable rally, really difficult and it is a real honour to have the opportunity to drive some of these fantastic stages. After the disappointment of last season, we wanted to take things a bit cautiously but I have gained more confidence with each stage and have really enjoyed myself today. It was a really close battle with Dani for the fifth place so I had to push a bit more in today’s stages. To get both cars to the end of the rally is the most important thing and it is a great team result. Hopefully, it is a good foundation for the rest of the season.”

Sordo has been in fight-back mode ever since he lost half a minute of time on the opening stage of the rally on Thursday, putting in some competitive stage times over the weekend. The Spaniard clawed back positions with a determined drive making his way into the top five overall at the end of Saturday. Third place in this morning’s opening stage allowed him to extend his lead over Neuville but the gap was reduced to 0.2s after SS14. He was eventually forced to settle for sixth place at the conclusion of the Power Stage, but it is still a very positive result for Sordo at the start of his second season as a Hyundai Motorsport driver.

Sordo said: “Our target was to reach the end of the rally with both cars, and we have achieved that so it is a good result for the whole team. The battle with Thierry was incredibly close but he was faster in the final two stages, so well done to him. We lost a bit too much time in the Col de Turini stage but sixth place is still a good result. The conditions have been really difficult on all days and we had a lot of ground to make up after losing time in the opening stage. I have tried to push where possible but it has been slippery and at times unpredictable, so we’ve also had to be careful. We have shown some good pace over the weekend and we can start this season in a much more positive way compared to last year.” 

The team has adopted a steady and mature approach to this arduous rally, in which icy, slippery and muddy conditions have presented a real challenge to all drivers over all four days. A two car, top six finish shows a marked improvement in Hyundai Motorsport’s performance compared to last year’s Monte-Carlo rally – the team’s WRC debut – in which neither Hyundai i20 WRC made it past the opening day. 

Team Principal Michel Nandan said: “I am very pleased to register a two car finish in this year’s Rallye Monte-Carlo and with both cars fighting for the top five. It has been a fantastic effort from Thierry and Dani. The team has performed at a high level throughout the weekend, and we have approached the rally with the correct mentality. The tricky conditions have meant difficult – and often late – strategy calls, particularly with the tyres, and we’ve coped well with these. Both drivers have gained confidence over the four days and we’ve set some decent stage times. We wanted a two car finish and we have achieved that with both cars in the top six, which is a great start to our second season in WRC.”

1. 
   S. Ogier / J. Ingrassia (Volkswagen Polo R WRC) 3:36:40.2
   
2. 
   J.M Latvala / M. Anttila (Volkswagen Polo R WRC) +58.0
   
3. 
   A. Mikkelsen / O. Floene (Volkswagen Polo R WRC) +2:12.3
   
4. 
   M. Østberg / J. Andersson (Citroën DS3 WRC) +2:43.6
   
5. 
   T. Neuville / N. Gilsoul (Hyundai i20 WRC) +3:12.1
   
6. 
   D. Sordo / M. Martí (Hyundai i20 WRC) +3:12.9
   
7. 
   E. Evans / D. Barritt (Ford Fiesta RS WRC) +5.23.7
   
8. 
   S. Loeb / D. Elena (Citroën DS3 WRC) +8:34.7
   
9. 
   M. Prokop / J. Tomanek (Ford Fiesta RS WRC) +9:54.8
   
10. 
    K. Meeke / P. Nagle (Citroën DS3 WRC) +10:55.6
    

S. Ogier 25 points / J.M. Latvala 19 / A. Mikkelsen 15 / M. Østberg 12 / T. Neuville 10 / D. Sordo 8 / E. Evans 6 / S. Loeb 6 / K. Meeke 4 / M. Prokop 2  

 

2015 FIA World Rally Championship for Manufacturers’ Standings

Volkswagen Motorsport 43 points / Hyundai Motorsport 27 / Citroën Total Abu Dhabi World Rally Team 12 / M-Sport World Rally Team 12 / Jipocar Czech National Team 6 / FWRT SRL 1

All results remain subject to official FIA confirmation

-Ends-
About Hyundai Motorsport GmbH

Established on 19 December 2012, Hyundai Motorsport GmbH is responsible for Hyundai’s global motorsport activities and primarily for its World Rally Championship programme. Based in Alzenau on the outskirts of Frankfurt in Germany, the company embarked on its debut season in the FIA World Rally Championship in 2014 with a bespoke team of skilled staff and a brand new car, the Hyundai i20 WRC. The team made a strong impression in its first year claiming podium results in Mexico and Poland, as well as a memorable 1-2 in Germany with Thierry Neuville and Dani Sordo. 2015 is Hyundai Motorsport’s second season in WRC and the team aims to build on the firm foundations laid in its maiden year of competition.
Further information about Hyundai Motorsport is available at: http://motorsport.hyundai.com

About Hyundai Motor

Established in 1967, Hyundai Motor Company is committed to becoming a lifetime partner in automobiles and beyond. The company, which leads the Hyundai Motor Group, an innovative business structure capable of circulating resources from molten iron to finished cars, offers top-quality best-sellers such as Elantra, Sonata and Genesis. Hyundai Motor has eight manufacturing bases and seven design & technical centers worldwide and in 2014, sold 4.96 million vehicles globally. With almost 100,000 employees worldwide, Hyundai Motor continues to enhance its product line-up with localized models and strives to strengthen its leadership in clean technology, starting with the world’s first mass-produced hydrogen-powered vehicle, ix35 Fuel Cell.