Best-ever result in Rally México as Dani Sordo claims second place
- Hyundai Motorsport has taken its best-ever result in Rally México as Dani Sordo claimed second place, the team’s third individual podium result of the 2018 season
- The team has achieved its pre-event objective of extending its lead in the FIA World Rally Championship manufacturers’ standings as Andreas Mikkelsen finished fourth
- Thierry Neuville completed a tough rally in sixth overall, having started each day as first on the road. Both he and Mikkelsen scored Power Stage points.
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Hyundai Motorsport has secured its most competitive finish on the gruelling gravel stages of Rally México.
Hyundai Motorsport has secured its most competitive finish on the gruelling gravel stages of Rally México, as Dani Sordo picked up his first podium of the 2018 FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) with a strong run to second.
The Spaniard, along with co-driver Carlos del Barrio, has been on impressive form all weekend, registering three stage wins and being in victory contention for much of the event. In their second WRC round of 2018, the #6 crew led three Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC cars inside the top-six with Andreas Mikkelsen finishing just off the podium in fourth and Thierry Neuville in sixth.
The combined team result has helped Hyundai Motorsport to extend its lead in the WRC manufacturers’ championship. With points awarded for second and fourth, the team has built up a 12-point advantage after three rounds, its most competitive start to a WRC season.
The Spaniard, along with co-driver Carlos del Barrio, has been on impressive form all weekend, registering three stage wins and being in victory contention for much of the event. In their second WRC round of 2018, the #6 crew led three Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC cars inside the top-six with Andreas Mikkelsen finishing just off the podium in fourth and Thierry Neuville in sixth.
The combined team result has helped Hyundai Motorsport to extend its lead in the WRC manufacturers’ championship. With points awarded for second and fourth, the team has built up a 12-point advantage after three rounds, its most competitive start to a WRC season.
Keep the pressure on
Sunday’s final stages saw plenty more of the drama that has epitomised an exciting Rally México all weekend. Crews tackled the 24.32km Alfaro stage followed by two timed runs through the 11.07km Las Minas test.
Starting the day third overall, Sordo’s focus was on securing a podium, with an eye on pushing for second place. An incident for Citroën’s Kris Meeke on the opening stage helped the Spaniard, as he was elevated into the position. Fourth placed Mikkelsen closed the gap to Meeke but the Norwegian ran into his own difficulties in the rally’s penultimate stage, getting briefly stuck in a ditch on SS21.
Neuville continued to gain experience of being first on the road on Sunday. The Belgian battled through to a solid sixth place, overcoming a number of issues during the weekend. In a closely fought Power Stage, with 1.4-seconds splitting the top-four times, Neuville took three extra points for third place with Mikkelsen taking two points for fourth.
Second place in the first gravel event of the season marks an improvement on the team’s previous third-place Mexican podiums, achieved by Neuville in 2014 and 2017.
Another one in the dust
- 35th team podium and best-ever result in Rally México
- Extending lead of manufacturers’ championship with strong team result
We have witnessed once again just how tough Rally México can be, with lots of drama right up to the Power Stage! We are delighted to finish the weekend with our best ever Mexico result and to increase our lead of the manufacturers’ championship. Dani and Carlos have had a strong weekend, and it’s great to see them on the podium. Andreas and Thierry both picked up important points in the Power Stage, concluding a generally positive rally. Like all teams, we’ve had some issues to deal with along the way, but finishing with all three Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC cars inside the top-six in such a demanding event is very encouraging.
Next rally
- The FIA World Rally Championship moves back to tarmac in a few weeks’ time
- Corsica hosts the fourth round of the season from 5-8 April for the popular Tour de Corse
- Hyundai Motorsport will return to the Mediterranean island as defending winners
Contacts
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Florian Büngener
Head of Department PR & Communications
fbuengener@hyundai-europe.com LinkedIn ProfileAdrian Péré
Product PR Manager
apere@hyundai-europe.comAdriana Cerami
Head of Section Corporate & Brand PR
acerami@hyundai-europe.comKatharina Kupper
Hyundai Newsroom Lead
kkupper@hyundai-europe.comAnja Wente
Product PR & Communications Expert
awente@hyundai-europe.comElvira Herrera
Corporate Communications Expert
eherrera@hyundai-europe.comDaniel Mireles
Internal Communications Expert
dmireleszuloaga@hyundai-europe.comÁngel Pino Pérez
Product Communications Professional
apinoperez@hyundai-europe.comMaria Bricio
Corporate & Brand Communications Expert
