Last season, the Korean manufacturer managed to close the performance gap with Toyota, but reliability issues once again handed the world championships to the Japanese team. In the legendary Safari Rally, the reliability of the cars becomes crucially important.
Updates have been made to Hyundai’s i20 N Rally1 car, and its durability will be thoroughly tested for the first time this season in the challenging conditions of Kenya.
“Safari Rally Kenya is a historically challenging event for us. The unique conditions increase the potential for cars to succumb to technical issues caused by the surroundings, meaning we have to focus on being robust and reliable first and foremost,” emphasizes Team Principal Cyril Abiteboul.
“We have made a strong start to the season so we must go to Kenya with belief in ourselves.”
This marks the first gravel rally of the 2024 season, which will be an interesting indicator of the teams’ relative strengths, as gravel events forms the majority of the WRC calendar.
“It is the first gravel event of the 2024 season, making it somewhat a testing ground for the 2024 iteration of our car. We have three very experienced crews in our line-up, and with two back-to-back wins, there is certainly a lot of positivity throughout the team right now,” Abiteboul summarizes.
“Our performance last year showed promise, so we are hoping to take it one step further next week and leave Kenya with a podium finish as a minimum.”
In the past two Safari Rallies, Toyota has achieved a four-car sweep, so it’s crucial for Hyundai to finally break through. The rally features a total of 19 special stages, covering just under 370 kilometers in distance.
