23.02.2019 Press release

Dani Sordo brings the i20 R5 to victory at Rali Serras de Fafe

  • Hyundai Motorsport’s WRC crew Dani Sordo and Carlos del Barrio have clinched the win at Rali Serras de Fafe – the first round of the Portuguese rally championship - in a Hyundai i20 R5
  • The Spanish duo won 13 stages out of 14 and showed a dominant performance throughout the weekend
  • Sordo and del Barrio have used the event as part of their preparations for Rally México next month, their WRC debut this year.

Press material

Dani Sordo and Carlos del Barrio have taken an assured victory at Rali Serras de Fafe in their first outing with the Hyundai i20 R5 on gravel.
The duo set the fastest times on 13 out of the 14 stages contested, and won the rally by 1m14s over Portuguese driver Ricardo Teodósio.

Rali Serras de Fafe was only the Spaniards’ second competitive event with the Hyundai i20 R5, after scoring a podium on tarmac at Barum Rally last year. They used this weekend’s rally as an opportunity to get into competition mode ahead of their first WRC event of the 2019 season in a few weeks’ time.


Sordo was fastest on Friday morning’s qualifying stage and selected to start 12th on the road for the opening tests. The Spaniard dominated the first four stages, finishing the day in the lead by 18.1 seconds. Being first on the road on Saturday added an extra challenge but using his extensive experience - and feeling more and more comfortable with the i20 R5 - he continued to amass stage wins to give the car the overall victory after more than 124 competitive kilometers.

Sordo and Hyundai Motorsport worked closely with Hyundai Portugal backed drivers Armindo Araújo and Bruno Magalhães who finished seventh and sixth respectively, proving once again the performance and reliability of the Hyundai i20 R5.
Winning Rali Serras de Fafe in such style shows the strength and competitiveness of the Hyundai i20 R5 and gives us a timely confidence boost ahead of Rally México. I felt quite comfortable with the car, which I had only driven once before, on tarmac at Barum Rally last year. We took a lot of pleasure this weekend driving these beautiful stages. We had so much support from the Portuguese fans and from the ones who came from Spain to watch the rally – it was amazing to see. It was really important for us to get into the rhythm before Rally México and Rali Serras de Fafe was a perfect opportunity to do just that.

Dani Sordo

This result is very important for Dani and Carlos as it represents a competitive start ahead of Rally México, their first WRC event of the season. In only their second outing with the Hyundai i20 R5 – the first on gravel - they showed brilliant pace, won most of the stages and brought the car to victory. We worked closely with Hyundai Portugal and their drivers Armindo and Bruno this weekend in the debut rally of their national campaign – reaffirming the commitment we have towards our customers. I would like to thank them for such a warm welcome in their home country and for all the support they have given us.

Andrea Adamo Hyundai Motorsport Team Director

Contacts

I am a customer

I am interested in a model or have a specific question about Hyundai.

Go to customer website

I am a journalist

I am looking for a direct press contact from Hyundai.