New Generation i20 R5 set for WRC2 debut at the Tour de Corse
- The New Generation i20 R5 will make its WRC2 debut at the Tour de Corse – Rallye de France, with three chassis entered for the tenth round of the World Rally Championship (WRC)
- Drivers Stéphane Sarrazin and Fabio Andolfi will compete on the rally in the first car to be delivered to customers by Hyundai Motorsport
- Kevin Abbring and Seb Marshall will showcase a Hyundai Motorsport entered example after seven months of testing and development work.
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The New Generation i20 R5 will make its first WRC2 start next month at the Tour de Corse – Rallye de France (29 September-October 2), subject to a timely completion of the homologation process.
Three of the brand new machines are set to line up for the event, the tenth round of the WRC season. Among this trio of New Generation i20 R5 that will take the ceremonial start in Ajaccio will be entries from the first two customer teams to take delivery from Hyundai Motorsport.
The two crews who will drive the cars show the broad appeal of the R5 class and the New Generation i20 R5. Stéphane Sarrazin and Jacques-Julien Renucci are past winners of the rally, but the weekend will mark their first appearance in the WRC service park this season. The experienced Sarrazin, currently a regular driver on the FIA World Endurance Championship and Formula E grids, captured ninth overall on the event last season, competing in WRC-spec machinery.
Aboard the other customer teams’ New Generation i20 R5 will be Fabio Andolfi and co-driver Manuel Fenoli. The Tour de Corse – Rallye de France will be a first start in an R5 for the Italian pairing. They will compete in an entry run by HMI and ACI Team Italia, supported by ACI Sport, the national motorsport body in their home country. Currently in the middle of a second season contesting the WRC3 championship 23-year-old Andolfi lies fourth in the points’ standings, having taken victory on the neighboring island of Sardinia in June.
The two crews who will drive the cars show the broad appeal of the R5 class and the New Generation i20 R5. Stéphane Sarrazin and Jacques-Julien Renucci are past winners of the rally, but the weekend will mark their first appearance in the WRC service park this season. The experienced Sarrazin, currently a regular driver on the FIA World Endurance Championship and Formula E grids, captured ninth overall on the event last season, competing in WRC-spec machinery.
Aboard the other customer teams’ New Generation i20 R5 will be Fabio Andolfi and co-driver Manuel Fenoli. The Tour de Corse – Rallye de France will be a first start in an R5 for the Italian pairing. They will compete in an entry run by HMI and ACI Team Italia, supported by ACI Sport, the national motorsport body in their home country. Currently in the middle of a second season contesting the WRC3 championship 23-year-old Andolfi lies fourth in the points’ standings, having taken victory on the neighboring island of Sardinia in June.
The third New Generation i20 R5 to take on the ‘Rally of 10,000 Corners’ will be run by Hyundai Motorsport for Kevin Abbring and Seb Marshall. In his role as lead test driver for the team Abbring has been an integral part of the Customer Racing team throughout the project. The Dutchman has completed almost all of the 5,000km of testing conducted during the seven-month development process. During that time every one of the car’s crucial systems has been optimised in preparation of joining one of the most closely contested categories in world motorsport.
The Customer Racing department will travel to the Tour de Corse – Rallye de France with two targets. The first will be to prove the pace of the New Generation i20 R5 on the stages against the more established manufacturers in the class. However, the weekend will also show the level of support that customers can expect. The customer teams at the rally will be supported by a dedicated engineer, with further specialist technicians in attendance to make sure that all three cars remain as competitive as possible throughout the event.
The Customer Racing department will travel to the Tour de Corse – Rallye de France with two targets. The first will be to prove the pace of the New Generation i20 R5 on the stages against the more established manufacturers in the class. However, the weekend will also show the level of support that customers can expect. The customer teams at the rally will be supported by a dedicated engineer, with further specialist technicians in attendance to make sure that all three cars remain as competitive as possible throughout the event.
Contacts
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Florian Büngener
Head of Department PR & Communications
fbuengener@hyundai-europe.com LinkedIn ProfileAdriana 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.comÁngel Pino Pérez
Product Communications Professional
apinoperez@hyundai-europe.comMaria Bricio
Corporate & Brand Communications Expert
