The WRC season will resume in three weeks with the Polish round, kicking off a series of three fast gravel rallies. Following Poland, the championship will move to Latvia in mid-July and then to Finland at the beginning of August.
Hyundai is currently testing its Rally1 car at the team’s private testing grounds in Central Finland. First up for testing was Andreas Mikkelsen, who drives the team’s third car in some events.
Mikkelsen had the opportunity to fine-tune the car’s settings in dry conditions. The Norwegian impressively launched the car into the air while navigating Hyundai’s test roads.
Check out photos from Mikkelsen’s test below. The article continues after the photos.
The team recruited Mikkelsen for this season to compete in tarmac events with the Hyundai i20 N Rally1 car. Additionally, his schedule includes the gravel rally in Poland at the end of June.
Earlier this season, Mikkelsen competed in the Monte Carlo and Croatian tarmac rallies with Hyundai. While he was still finding his pace, he now faces his first gravel event with the Rally1 car. Saturday’s test marked his initial opportunity to get a feel for the car on gravel.
The Rally Poland is making a return to the WRC calendar after a seven-year hiatus. Mikkelsen has fond memories of this event, having secured a WRC round victory in the Mikolajki area in 2016.
The Norwegian also boasts two second-place finishes from the Polish gravel rally in 2014 and 2015. Hyundai is likely expecting a strong performance from Mikkelsen, especially as he will benefit from a favourable starting position in the rally.
The Rally Poland round is scheduled for 27-30 June, with the small town of Mikolajki once again serving as the event’s hub.
