Thierry Neuville, last season’s champion who has had a truly difficult year, managed to break his unfortunate spell in Saudi Arabia and finally claimed his first – and naturally also his last – victory of the season.
Hyundai’s successful weekend was completed by Adrien Fourmaux, who had been in the fight for victory for almost the entire rally, finishing second and thereby securing a one-two for the team.
Hyundai’s new sporting director, Andrew Wheatley, has not had many opportunities to celebrate after a rally this season, but now he had reason to do so.
“What a fantastic end to a really challenging week for the team. It’s been a difficult rally, but a really positive end to the season for Hyundai Motorsport. It’s been a massive team effort from everybody back at base and here on the rally, who have all gone above and beyond lately to create the result we have seen today,” Wheatley praised.
Wheatley naturally also remembered to thank rally winner Neuville and his co-driver Martijn Wydaeghe.
“We saw a typically professional drive from Thierry and Martijn today; they pushed through some very difficult conditions with incredible poise and commitment. It was also an incredible result from Adrien and Alex, they pushed their team-mates to the final stage and I’m sure we’ll see that first win come in the near future,” Wheatley predicted.
There were also bittersweet feelings within the Hyundai team in Saudi Arabia, as it was Ott Tänak and his co-driver Martin Järveoja’s final rally with the team. At least for the time being.
“The final word has to go out to Ott and Martin – they’ve done a phenomenal job with the team. We couldn’t get the final result we wanted with everyone this weekend, but right to the last stage they demonstrated their professionalism and support in creating the team spirit we need to continue securing more results like these,” Wheatley praised.
