World Rally Championship leader Thierry Neuville and Andreas Mikkelsen will compete in Spain’s national Rally La Nucia, which kicks off on Friday evening.
This tarmac rally provides an excellent testing ground for Hyundai’s drivers ahead of the season-closing Rally Japan in a couple of weeks, where Neuville has a chance to claim his first world championship title. Additionally, Hyundai could celebrate the manufacturers’ championship in the season’s final rally.
But Hyundai has more at stake at La Nucia. The rally isn’t just about preparing for Japan; it’s also an opportunity for the team to conduct testing for next season.
Neuville revealed this in an interview with Belgian newspaper La Dernière Heure.
“When we did the Herbst Rallye in Austria before the Central European Rally, we were in the current specification. In Spain next weekend, we’ll naturally get some beneficial mileage for Japan, but technically the car will already have some updates for next season, which we won’t be able to use in Japan in 15 days’ time,” Neuville said.
Hyundai is set to introduce a host of updates to its car next season. Reportedly, Rally1 cars in the WRC’s top class will no longer include hybrid units next year, something Hyundai has already factored into its testing at La Nucia.
Read more: Interesting observation made on Hyundai’s Rally1 car
Hyundai has provided Neuville with excellent preparation for his championship bid this autumn. He participated in a test rally before the Central European Rally, and now he faces an 11-stage rally in Spain. The Belgian has recently spent considerably more time in the Rally1 car on tarmac than his competitors.
In Japan, Neuville needs just six points to secure his first world championship title. His closest challenger, teammate Ott Tänak, is 25 points behind.
