Hyundai in Kenya with little luck / WRC

The Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team showed its strong momentum with four 1-2-3 stage results on the final day, finishing the event with seven records and three top 30s. Neuville can extend his lead in the drivers’ championship, Tänak moves up to fourth place. The battle between manufacturers is still close, with Hyundai Motorsport four points behind first place.

Hyundai Motorsport from Alzenau in Lower Franconia had a strong final day at Safari Rally Kenya, with Ott Tänak and Thierry Neuville taking first and second place in the Super Sunday standings. All three Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team crews showed great speed in the Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid over the remaining six stages and achieved four record doubles – including the Power Stage. It was the first time in the four editions of the Safari Rally Kenya that the team secured the top three positions in the stage, thus marking a step forward in Hyundai Motorsport’s competition at the event.

Safari Rally Kenya was the longest Super Sunday of the season so far with a competitive distance of 74.38 km. Two races from Malewa (SS14/17, 8.33km), Oserengoni (SS15/18, 18.33km) and Hell’s Gate (SS16/20, 10.53km) completed the event.

Once again it was not a smooth ride for the team. Neuville and Martijn Wydaeghe had the best time on SP 14 Malewa 1, but entered the lunch service with a broken bone after colliding with a large rock. After a successful repair of their car, the Belgians achieved their second record in the Malewa repeat. A strong run and third best time of the day on the Power Stage was the final highlight of an impressive comeback after crew problems on Saturday. Neuville finished fifth overall and maintained his position at the top of the drivers’ championship with his strong points.

To add points from Sunday, Tänak/Martin Järveoja and Esapekka Lappi/Janne Ferm had just one spare tire on the morning circuit. Tänak and Martin Järveoja were second fastest in each decision and continued that trend in the final three stages. With a win at SS18 Oserengon 2 and second place in the Power Stage, the Estonians cemented themselves at the top of the Super Sunday standings and finished eighth overall, giving them 12 points from the event. Tänak also made up one place in the drivers’ standings and is now in fourth place.

Esapekka Lappi and Janne Ferm were third fastest in SS14 – Hyundai Motorsport’s first one-two-three of the day – despite the puncture. A tough weekend for the Finns was made worse when they suffered gearbox problems on the following stages, but the crew of the No. 4 were able to recover and help.

Just four points separate Hyundai Motorsport from first place in the Manufacturers’ Championship when the WRC returns to Europe next month for the fourth round of the season, Rally Croatia.

Neuville said: “A good weekend, but we could certainly have done better. Unfortunately we had some problems, but we still kept fighting. Today was an opportunity to get a lot of points – we scored eleven points out of twelve and so we are happy to be the second best team. We would like to receive more, especially after three consecutive difficult years here in Kenya. There is still room for improvement, but we have been able to extend our lead in the tournament and put Croatia in a good starting position. Go to the next one!”

Tänak said: “Our goal was always not only to get the highest level, but also to aim for the podium with a clean run, so our failure on Friday was disappointing. Although we encountered several issues in the car and on the road, our problems had nothing to do with reliability. Our speed is definitely closer to the others. Croatia itself will be a completely different meeting to Monte Carlo, so let’s see how we do. We want to get back on track. The championship is still very young, but we have to get back to our normal rhythm.”

Lappi noted: “The speed this weekend was good from the start, even yesterday when we opened the road, so we have to be happy with that. All our cars were able to compete at speed, but unfortunately we were not reliable this weekend and that shows in the results. At least my colleagues they were able to score a lot of points today and it was great to get a one-two-three on the Power Stage. I’m looking forward to my next event with the team.”

Cyril Abiteboul, President and Team Principal of Hyundai Motorsport, said: “Teamwork is perhaps the key word of the weekend in an event that always presents some challenges for the crew, but unfortunately for us. Some of these were part of nature. of the Safari Rally Kenya, some were due to residual weaknesses in our cars themselves. Our pace was very good and in line with our nearest competitor in an event where we were far behind last year – it’s good to see the progress we’ve made in less than a year. That it’s thanks to the good winter work at the factory, but the recovery from all the chaos we faced this weekend is thanks to the great teamwork and the long hours of everyone here putting in the effort and keeping their heads down. I really liked the team’s final victory Ours twice. It is an example of the power of our car, but also the mindset that must be present in every situation in this championship.” (Hyundai)