In the two previous rallies, Hyundai had managed to get the better of Toyota. In the August Rally Finland, Hyundai surprisingly claimed strong points after Toyota drivers Kalle Rovanperä and Elfyn Evans crashed out near the end. In early September, Hyundai celebrated an impressive 1-2-3 finish in Greece.
Things turned around in the gravel rally of Chile. Rovanperä and Evans secured a 1-2 finish for their team, with Toyota ultimately collecting a perfect 55-point haul for the weekend in the manufacturers’ championship.
Hyundai had to settle for Ott Tänak‘s third-place finish and championship leader Thierry Neuville‘s fourth.
“This has been a very difficult rally for us, and a complete contrast to where we were at Acropolis Rally earlier this month,” admitted Hyundai team boss Cyril Abiteboul.
“We didn’t have the package to win this weekend, and so we focused on the championship battles and avoiding the pitfalls we saw over the weekend. In that respect, it is mission accomplished, but we depart Chile with the gap we had built in the manufacturers’ standings now halved,” the Frenchman added.
Hyundai had a 35-point lead over Toyota in the manufacturers’ championship before Rally Chile, but now Toyota has reduced the gap to just 17 points. As a result, the title will be decided in the final two rallies.
Check out the full standings of the WRC championship here.
In the drivers’ championship, Hyundai is in a better position, with Neuville leading by 29 points over Tänak. Toyota driver Sebastien Ogier is third, 41 points behind the leader.
“It is imperative that we give our drivers a more competitive car for the last two tarmac rallies, where we hope to unleash the full potential of the Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid and rebuild our advantage,” Abiteboul planned.
Next up is the Central European Rally, where the championship battle continues after mid-October.
