The third-last WRC rally of the season takes place in two weeks on the asphalt roads of Central Europe. In the previous asphalt event in the Canary Islands, Hyundai was completely outclassed by Toyota, with the Japanese manufacturer sweeping the top four places in April’s rally.
Hyundai introduced an updated version of its i20 N Rally1 car in February. At the season-opening Rally Monte Carlo, the team still ran the 2024-spec version, with Adrien Fourmaux finishing third.
Ahead of Central Europe, Hyundai drivers have carried out a comparison test between the 2024 car and the current machine. The conclusion was clear.
“Last year, the car was competitive on all the asphalt rallies of the season, so we wanted to make a comparison between the two versions. We tested and compared, and there is no reason to go to Central European Rally with the 2024 car. We all agree on that,” Hyundai driver Fourmaux revealed in an interview with the French outlet Rallye-Sport.
Hyundai has tried to push development forward in order to challenge Toyota seriously. But so far, it has come up short: from this season’s rallies, the team has managed only a single win.
Five months ago in Gran Canaria, Fourmaux was Hyundai’s top performer, but the gap to Toyota was plain to see.
“We’ve had developments since the Canaries, but of course the terrain will be very different. In Spain you needed a very stiff, racing-type car, but it will be quite different in Central Europe, especially with the dirt coming onto the road from the cuts. Perhaps we were also a bit off with the set-up in the Canaries,” Fourmaux assessed.
Fourmaux is enjoying thorough preparation for Central Europe, contesting a test rally this weekend in Croatia and another the following week in Austria.
The Central European Rally takes place on 16–19 October.
