Hyundai has its own test area near Jämsä, where it can conduct testing without restrictions throughout the year. The rules of the WRC strictly limit teams testing outside official test areas.
Hyundai driver Thierry Neuville, who currently leads the championship standings, wrapped up Hyundai’s testing for this week at the start of the weekend. Neuville drove the Hyundai i20 N Rally1 car on a fast gravel road, fine-tuning the car’s setups.
However, Neuville’s test did not go entirely smoothly. The Belgian driver had to take a longer break of a couple of hours during his run due to an issue with the car that needed to be fixed.
See below for images from Neuville’s test session.
The WRC season continues next week in Greece, but Hyundai was not preparing in Central Finland for the Acropolis Rally. It is likely that the tests were related to the WRC round in Chile at the end of September or perhaps to the following season.
Neuville holds a solid 27-point lead over Toyota’s Sebastien Ogier in the championship standings, with four rounds remaining in the season. The Hyundai star is chasing his first-ever world title.
In addition to Neuville and Ogier, Hyundai’s Ott Tänak and Toyota’s Elfyn Evans are still in the title race. The top four are separated by 36 points.
Check the full standings of the World Rally Championship here.
