Second Victory This Year... Narrowing the Gap with Leading Toyota
[Asia Economy Reporter Yu Je-hoon] Hyundai Motor Company won the race at the 8th round of the World Rally Championship (WRC) held in Belgium.
Hyundai announced on the 16th that at the 2021 WRC 8th round held from the 13th to 15th in Ypres, Belgium, the Hyundai World Rally Team achieved a double podium by securing both first and second place.
The Belgium Rally was the second tarmac (paved road condition) event of the year, conducted over 20 stages covering a total distance of 310.92 km. The Hyundai World Rally Team entered three drivers?Thierry Neuville, Craig Breen, and Ott T?nak?and the i20 Coupe WRC race car in this competition.
As Belgium was hosting the WRC for the first time, most participating drivers had no past driving data, so the competition was held under equal conditions based on the rally car's performance. On the first day of the event, Friday, Hyundai team drivers alternated at the top of the leaderboard in all seven stages, demonstrating the excellent performance of the i20 Coupe WRC.
Thierry Neuville, who took the lead, delivered a flawless drive without allowing a single overtaking during the race, finishing 30.7 seconds ahead of his teammate Craig Breen, gifting Hyundai its second victory. Notably, Neuville earned his first win of the season while receiving support from his home fans in Belgium, adding special significance. The third place was taken by Toyota's Kalle Rovanper?.
The company explained that the key to achieving the season's best results along with the one-two finish at the Belgium Rally was optimizing the i20 Coupe WRC's condition to suit the narrow and uneven paved road conditions. With this victory, Hyundai, having shaken off the sluggish first half of the season, earned a total of 51 points at the Belgium Rally, laying the groundwork to chase the leading Toyota. The points gap with Toyota is 41.
The 2021 WRC, consisting of a total of 12 rounds, has four upcoming races in Greece, Finland, Spain, and Japan. Based on the results of these events, the 2021 WRC manufacturers' and drivers' championships will be decided. The 9th round of the 2021 WRC is scheduled to be held in Greece starting from the 9th of next month.
A Hyundai Motor Company official said, "We are especially pleased that the Hyundai team achieved the season's best results with first and second place at the Belgium Rally, shaking off the sluggish first half of the season," adding, "This year, we are expanding our activities to include WRC, WTCR, and the electric vehicle race ETCR, building up our technological capabilities. Based on this, we will spare no effort to ensure that the joy of driving is fully delivered to our customers."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
