Hyundai tested their rally car at the team’s test area in Central Finland over the weekend. Andreas Mikkelsen started the test session on Saturday, and on Sunday, it was Tänak’s turn to take the wheel of the Hyundai i20 N Rally1 car.
Read also: Hyundai’s rally star gains new experience in Finland
Hyundai has had its own test area near Jämsä for a couple of years now. Fast rallies have long been a stumbling block for the team, but last year it became evident that Hyundai had made significant strides forward. Thierry Neuville finished second in both Estonia’s and Finland’s fast gravel rallies last summer.
RallyJournal.com had their own “agent” on site along Hyundai’s test road on Sunday. The agent was impressed by what they saw.
“Tänak was incredibly fast. It was also noticeable that Hyundai handled 90-degree turns very well. The car had good traction,” was the message sent to RallyJournal.com editorial office from the forests of Jämsä.
See photos from Tänak’s test below. The article continues after the photos.
This is an alarming message for Toyota, which has dominated fast gravel rallies in recent years. Toyota is under significant pressure to catch up to Hyundai in the upcoming rallies, as Hyundai has taken the lead in the manufacturers’ championship battle.
The World Rally Championship now begins a series of three fast gravel rallies. At the end of June, the competition will be in Poland, followed by Latvia in mid-July, and Finland at the beginning of August.
Tänak is one of the top favourites in the summer’s gravel races. The Estonian star has also been in excellent form in recent races, having secured a victory in Sardinia at the beginning of June and finishing second in Portugal in early May.
With his brilliant performances, Tänak has firmly entered the fight for this year’s championship. He shares second place in the World Rally Championship standings with Toyota’s Elfyn Evans – the pair are 18 points behind the leading driver Thierry Neuville.
