19.08.2018 Press release

Hyundai Motor Sport conquered the ninth podium result in Germany

  • Hyundai Motorsport scores ninth podium of 2018 with second place for Thierry Neuville in the team’s home event, Rallye Deutschland
  • Dramatic final morning saw Dani Sordo retire from second and Andreas Mikkelsen salvage sixth place
  • Neuville extends lead in drivers’ championship while Hyundai Motorsport holds reduced 13-point advantage in manufacturers’ table.

Press material

Hyundai Motorsport has claimed its ninth podium finish of the 2018 World Rally Championship (WRC) on a dramatic final day at Rallye Deutschland, the ninth round of the season.
Belgians Thierry Neuville and Nicolas Gilsoul took the runners-up position on a thrilling Sunday morning, which included two runs through the 29.07km Grafschaft stage, and the rally-ending Power Stage at Bosenberg.
The result sees Neuville increase his lead at the top of the drivers’ championship to 23 points over Sébastien Ogier but with Ott Tanak closing the gap to second place following his victory in Germany.
Hyundai Motorsport’s home event offered plenty of action throughout the weekend, and the final morning was certainly no different with many leading contenders retiring from the rally – including Spaniards Dani Sordo and Carlos del Barrio.
Going off into the vineyards in the opening Grafschaft stage, the time loss dropped the crew from second to seventh. However, the damage sustained to their Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC prevented them from continuing any further. As a result, Norwegians Andreas Mikkelsen and Anders Jæger inherited the team’s second points-scoring position in sixth place.
The allocation of points sees Hyundai Motorsport continue to lead the manufacturers’ championship but with a reduced 13-point gap over Toyota, who moves ahead of M-Sport Ford into second with four rallies remaining this season.

Holding on at home


  • Ninth individual podium of 2018 for Hyundai Motorsport
  • Team holds reduced advantage in Manufacturers’ Championship, 13 ahead of Toyota
I am pleased that we have been able to secure a podium result in our home rally in Germany. It was an eventful final morning, which unfortunately included a retirement for Dani and Carlos, ending their own podium charge. It was a pity for them after a strong weekend. Thierry and Nicolas were there to pick up the position with Andreas and Anders also moving up to sixth. It has not been the ideal weekend for us but it was not too bad. Second is a good result and even if we have lost some ground there is a lot more to come this season. We now shift focus to the next event in Turkey, a rally that will be new to everyone. It remains a challenging – and exciting – championship.

Michel Nandan Team Principal

Next Rally - Turkey


  • The tenth round of the 2018 FIA World Rally Championship takes place in Turkey from 13-16 September
  • A gravel event, it will be Hyundai Motorsport’s first visit to the country, as Rally Turkey makes a return to the WRC for the first time since 2010
  • That said, the stages are completely new to all competitors as the WRC has never been to the region of Marmaris before – it’s a voyage into the unknown!

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