06.03.2023 Pressemeldung

Hyundai Motorsport names i20 N Rally2 Junior Drivers for 2023 season

  • Hyundai Motorsport have named the four i20 N Rally2 drivers selected as Customer Racing Junior Drivers for the 2023 season
  • The quartet includes Hyundai Motorsport N WRC2 driver Fabrizio Zaldivar and Irishman Josh McErlean, who will also compete in the global category this year
  • In national competitions the Junior Driver initiative will be represented by Spaniard Oscar Palomo and Charles Munster, two drivers both starting their first full year in Rally2 machinery.

Pressematerial

Hyundai Motorsport has confirmed the four i20 N Rally2 drivers selected for the Customer Racing Junior Driver programme for 2023.
 
The four drivers were chosen based on a number of factors including results in their career so far, their potential and their professional approach to rallying, both in the car and away from the heat of competition. The quartet will receive support throughout the year ahead, aimed at helping them build their careers, with the ultimate aim that they join Hyundai Motorsport’s teams at the highest level of their sporting discipline.
 
The highest step of the global rallying ladder is represented by the FIA World Rally Championship, where two of the 2023 Junior Drivers will compete in WRC2.

Fabrizio Zaldivar

Fabrizio Zaldivar started his second year as part of the Hyundai Motorsport official team in the series at Rally Sweden, where he came away with a top ten finish in the WRC2 Challenger ranks. In 2022 the Paraguayan claimed a best finish of fifth in the category, as well as a pair of WRC2 Junior class podiums as he and team-mate Teemu Suninen missed out on the teams’ title by just two points.

Josh McErlean

Zaldivar will be joined on the World Championship stages by Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy driver Josh McErlean. Now in his third season as part of the Junior Driver programme he will also be starting his second full campaign in WRC2.

In 2022, the 23-year-old scored a superb junior class podium at Rally Estonia, but also entered the high company of WRC overall stage winners when he took his i20 N Rally2 to the fastest time on the Porto – Foz Super Special at Rally Portugal.
 
In national rally series the Junior Drivers will be represented by two new names to the programme.

Oscar Palomo

In Spain, Oscar Palomo will make his debut as a Hyundai Motorsport customer when he joins the Spanish Superchampionship with an i20 N Rally2, stepping up from the Rally4-spec machinery which he used to win the 2022 ERC4 title.

Charles Munster

Also making the move up to the i20 N Rally2 is Charles Munster, another who takes his place in the car after previously competing in the Rally4 category. This season he will divide his time between full campaigns in two series – the national championship in Belgium and the French gravel championship.

Each of the selected drivers will have opportunities to test with Hyundai Motorsport, allowing them to work directly with the company’s engineers and benefit from the mentoring from the experienced roster of drivers. For each event during the season the drivers and their teams will be able to rely on the same efficient spare parts supply offered to all customers, while also benefitting from engineering support from Hyundai Motorsport Customer Racing.

Encouraging and supporting young drivers is an important part of our task within the Customer Racing department. It is a win-win situation. We are able to help talented drivers build their careers in motorsport and, with our support, they are able to show the best possible performance of Hyundai Motorsport Customer Racing-built cars and succeed in their series. The drivers we have selected for the Junior Driver programme for 2023 have all shown great pace in previous seasons, whether as Hyundai Motorsport customers, or in the lower classes before making the step up. With the assistance and opportunities we can offer them as Junior Drivers – on top of the high standard of support we offer all our customer teams and drivers – I am sure they all have a successful year ahead.

Andrea Cisotti Hyundai Motorsport Customer Racing Manager

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