It had been eight months since Hyundai’s previous win, the last one coming at the Central European Rally in October.
Hyundai and Ott Tänak had been close to victory in earlier rounds this season, but everything finally came together. Tänak was the fastest driver at the Acropolis Rally in Greece, beating Toyota’s Sébastien Ogier to claim the win.
That result brought a smile to the face of Hyundai team principal Cyril Abiteboul.
“Extreme heat, very long days, lots of punctures and mechanical issues: we tamed them all to come out on top of this scorching Acropolis Rally,” Abiteboul said with satisfaction.
Abiteboul was particularly pleased with Tänak’s brilliant performance on the rough and demanding gravel roads.
“Ott demonstrated an amazing drive all weekend. He showed the true pace of the car and he had the right mindset to navigate around the many challenges and emerge on top in a weekend made especially difficult by the very challenging season so far.”
“It’s our first win of the season, and that is reflective of the whole team’s efforts to make it happen – and we did it at a notoriously challenging rally,” Abiteboul said.
It was only the second time this season that Hyundai scored more points than its fiercest rival Toyota. The team recorded its best result of the year, with Adrien Fourmaux joining Tänak on the podium in third place.
Reigning world champion Thierry Neuville also showed good pace like his teammates, but a series of punctures meant he had to settle for fifth place.
“Adrien and Thierry were also contenders for very strong weekends, but various setbacks put them further down the overall classification,” Abiteboul summarised.
“It’s great to see Adrien back on the podium, he showed his maturity and his ability to contribute to the team’s target. We look forward to seeing Thierry in better circumstances as soon as Rally Estonia,” the team boss added.
Rally Estonia is scheduled for two weeks from now.
