Hyundai insists it has made the “more sensible choice” to contest subsequent week’s Safari Rally Kenya with out its a lot anticipated 2025 automobile replace package deal that debuted in Sweden final month.
The South Korean producer will head to Africa for the hardest occasion on the WRC calendar with a trio of i20 N Rally1 vehicles competing within the specification that ended the 2024 marketing campaign (minus the hybrid unit and with the air restrictor adjustments as per the 2025 technical laws).
Hyundai spent a lot of final 12 months engaged on a big improve package deal for 2025, utilising 4 homologation jokers to enhance its i20 N for drivers Thierry Neuville, Ott Tanak and new signing Adrien Fourmaux. The enhancements centred round a revised suspension format and weight discount.
This package deal made its debut on Sweden’s snow levels final month with group principal Cyril Abiteboul moderately proud of the efficiency regardless of the upgrades being primarily designed for gravel and asphalt rallies.
Nonetheless, a mix of things has prompted the group to place these updates on ice for the go to to Kenya subsequent week, earlier than returning to its full 2025 package deal. Abiteboul is, nonetheless, assured that the choice received’t have an effect on the group’s efficiency.
“[The car we will use] would be the end-of-2024 specification, so it isn’t the spec that ran in Kenya final 12 months as a result of clearly we had plenty of points after Kenya notably round transmission [that were addressed], in order that automobile is just not what’s going to run in Kenya this 12 months,” Abiteboul advised Motorsport.com.
“It’s a choice now we have made to optimise the supply of elements as we had a really busy winter as we obtained the 2025 specification very late and that made it very marginal to make it with the freight [to Kenya]. It was a little bit of an optimisation of the general operation that led to this choice.
“We don’t assume that when it comes to efficiency there might be any deficit or make a giant distinction. It’s all about reliability and sign-off and mileage [on the parts] and general the selection to run the automobile because it was on the finish of 2024 was higher than working the 2025 automobile.
“There was nothing unsuitable with [the updates in Sweden] however frankly we didn’t actually design these adjustments for Sweden for snow, we designed these adjustments for the circumstances we face this 12 months, which is principally gravel and a little bit of Tarmac.
“However when you have a look at Thierry and Adrien, by the tip of the weekend it is rather clear that the efficiency of the automobile was there or thereabouts.”
Thierry Neuville, Martijn Wydaeghe, Hyundai World Rally Workforce Hyundai i20 N Rally1
Picture by: Pink Bull Content material Pool
Whereas Hyundai’s WRC challenger might be with out its 2025 updates, it can function a brand new improve particular for the rigours of Kenya’s notoriously powerful gravel roads.
The group has developed a revised snorkel. Snorkels are gadgets that protrude from the bonnet of the automobile designed to guard the engine from ingesting water or mud, which can have an effect on combustion and might even severely harm the engine. It’s notably efficient on the Safari Rally, which options thick fesh-fesh sand and deep water splashes.
“We may have a greater instance of the one we used final 12 months – [last year’s snorkel] was possibly a bit fundamental, so this additionally reveals a number of the homework that now we have accomplished,” added Abiteboul.
Homework addressed in difficult pre-event check
Sole Hyundai Kenyan podium got here in 2021
Picture by: Austral / Hyundai Motorsport
Kenya has confirmed to be a very difficult rally for Hyundai, because it has solely recorded one podium end from its 4 makes an attempt, when Tanak completed third in 2021. Chief rival Toyota has received each version since its return to the calendar in 2021, scoring a dominant 1-2-3-4 in each 2022 and 2023.
Reliability points have largely been Hyundai’s downfall however the group has centered on addressing these issues after every go to to Kenya. The issue fixing has continued within the lead as much as subsequent week’s third spherical of the championship following a difficult pre-event check, held in tough circumstances, that highlighted {an electrical} frailty.
“Hopefully now we have made a step however what I do know for positive is that each difficulty we confronted final 12 months in Kenya has been addressed – however every time we go to Kenya we appear to unearth new points,” stated Abiteboul.
“We truly had fairly an eventful pre-event check for Kenya the place we noticed one thing that was not precisely on the degree we would like, notably whether it is raining lots.
“The pre-event check was difficult for the group and I’ve to present credit score to the group for doing a really robust job to present most preparation to the drivers.
“However it reveals that it isn’t a straightforward problem. I want to search out these reliability points within the check quite than throughout the rally. We have been speaking about doing our homework, however that field is ticked.”
Safari Rally Kenya begins subsequent Thursday with the primary of 21 levels.
On this article
Tom Howard
WRC
Hyundai Motorsport
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