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HYUNDAI MOTORSPORT PREVIEW: ROUND 9 – ACROPOLIS RALLY

• Hyundai Motorsport heads to the legendary Acropolis Rally, the ninth round of the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC), looking to secure a second consecutive victory
• Thierry Neuville/Martijn Wydaeghe and Ott Tänak/Martin Järveoja will be joined by Dani Sordo and Cándido Carrera at the gravel event, which marks the new pairing’s first WRC outing
• The team is aiming to continue its recent momentum in the manufacturers’ championship at what promises to be one of the toughest events on the 2021 calendar.

Alzenau, Germany

September 3, 2021 – Hyundai Motorsport heads to the legendary Acropolis Rally, the ninth round of the 2021 FIA World Rally Championship (WRC), on a charge for a second consecutive victory next week (September 9-12).

Last time out at Ypres Rally Belgium, Hyundai Motorsport gained ground in the manufacturers’ standings with a spectacular 1-2 finish. Thierry Neuville and Martijn Wydaeghe were untouchable as they took an emphatic win in front of their home crowd. The Belgian crew was joined on the podium by team-mates Craig Breen and Paul Nagle, who finished in second place after a brilliant drive. Ott Tänak and Martin Järveoja took four stage wins but had to settle for sixth overall after a puncture ruled them out of podium contention.

As WRC returns to gravel for Acropolis Rally, Neuville/Wydaeghe, Tänak/Järveoja are joined by Dani Sordo and Cándido Carrera in the Spaniards’ first competitive outing as a pair. All three crews have tested with the Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC to acclimatise to one of the toughest events on the WRC calendar.

Acropolis Rally features 15 stages comprising a competitive distance of 292.19km. The legendary event returns to the pinnacle of rally for the first time since 2013. Its twisty mountain roads and high temperatures place great stress upon the cars and the crews, with stages becoming more perilous on the second pass as rocks and stones are disturbed and moved. Though the stages are smoother than they once were, they still pose the same treacherous conditions WRC has experienced at Rally Turkey in recent years.

The event begins with a shakedown, followed by a ceremonial start in Athens. Crews will then tackle a short street stage around Syntagma Square. After an overnight stay in the city, action moves west on Friday for five stages before crews head north to the Lamia service park. Saturday is the longest day with six stages, while the final day features three stages to the west of the city.

Team Principal Andrea Adamo said: “We welcome the return of Acropolis Rally to the WRC calendar, and look forward to our first participation in this special event. It will be an especially tough challenge for teams and crews, but we have prepared ourselves accordingly and are ready to tackle the stages. I have been proud of the way we have approached recent events. We have been able to perform at a high level and secure results that are more representative of our potential. We must continue in this way and aim to secure as many points as possible in Greece.”

Crew Notes: Thierry Neuville/Martijn Wydaeghe (#11 Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC)
• Belgians claimed first victory as a crew last time out in Ypres
• Looking to use momentum to secure second consecutive win

Neuville said: “Acropolis Rally is going to be a tough event. When I was competing there back in 2012 and 2013 it was one of the roughest rallies – together with Argentina at that time. I always enjoyed it. We tested in Greece two years ago to prepare for Rally Turkey, so we have some knowledge of the terrain there. The stages have some very twisty profiles with a lot of loose stones, hot temperatures and it could be very similar to the rough conditions of Turkey. It will be very challenging as not only do you need to go flat out, but you also need to manage the car and the tyres. Strategy will be very important, but that’s something we like. We have high expectations for another good result, and we are looking forward to it.”

Crew Notes: Ott Tänak/Martin Järveoja (#8 Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC)
• Estonians seeking to fight back after Belgium disappointment
• On the hunt for their second victory of the season

Tänak said: “It’s been a long break since the last WRC rally in Greece eight years ago. Acropolis Rally is an event with a lot of history and tradition behind it. It’s an event which belongs to the WRC, and it is good to be back. The last time I competed there was back in 2012 – a long time ago, but I have some great memories. Acropolis Rally is a good replacement for Rally Turkey which is normally the roughest event of the year. I think it’s going to be a really nice event; it will be quite demanding, but the stages are really special and flowing. I can’t wait to be back and bring home a good result.”

Crew Notes: Dani Sordo/Cándido Carrera (#6 Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC)
• First WRC event for Sordo and Carrera as a crew
• Spaniards aiming to get up to speed quickly with new partnership

Sordo said: “Acropolis Rally was one of the roughest rallies when I competed there in the past but, overall, it is a nice rally with good stages. Normally the main challenges are the rocky surface, which is really demanding on the tyres and the high temperatures. You can have a lot of issues in this rally but now we have other similar rallies on the calendar such as Portugal and Sardinia that are similarly demanding, so maybe we are more prepared for this kind of event. Our road position is advantageous when we look at the big picture; it is good to start at the back and we will try to make the most of our running order on the first day. I can’t wait to start it. It will be the first rally with Cándido alongside me and I hope we can get a good result.”

WRC 2 Overview

Acropolis Rally will be the second consecutive event for the brand-new Hyundai i20 N Rally2, which secured victory on its debut in Ypres Rally Belgium.

Oliver Solberg and Aaron Johnston will be the sole crew at the helm of the car in Greece and will be hoping for better fortunes after missing out on victory at Ypres. The duo had a commanding lead heading into the final day, but had to retire on Sunday morning due to an electrical issue.

Solberg said: “I can’t wait to take the Hyundai i20 N Rally2 to Greece. I did quite a lot of testing with the car on the gravel, so I know the potential and the speed it has. We have to remember though, we are still early in the life for the car so we have to make sure we are making a lot of kilometres. I think this is a rally where you drive more with your head than with the heavy right foot; there will be lots of big rocks waiting, especially on the second loop of stages. This is going to be especially true on the first day because we have no service in lunchtime. It’s going to be fantastic.”

Team Principal Andrea Adamo said: “We were pleased to see the performance of the Hyundai i20 N Rally2 at Ypres, but Acropolis Rally will put the car through an entirely different set of challenges. We haven’t shown the full potential of this new car, and although we secured victory in WRC 2 last time out, we also identified areas for improvement. Oliver’s mission in Greece is to help us develop our understanding further, as well as bring home a good result.”

Weekend at a Glance
• Acropolis Rally kicks off with shakedown on Thursday morning, followed by a ceremonial start in the famous Acropolis citadel and a street stage in the city centre.
• After staying overnight in Athens, crews tackle five stages on Friday before heading north to Lamia for evening service: two passes of Aghii Theodori (17.54km) and one each of Loutraki (19.40km), Thiva (23.27km) and Elatia (11.65km).
• Saturday is the longest day on the itinerary with six stages totalling 132.56km. Pavliani (24.25km) and Gravia (24.81km) are followed by a tyre fitting zone for Bauxites (22.97km) and Eleftherohori (18.14km). Following service, Pavliani and Eleftherohori are repeated.
• Three stages bring the rally to a close; Tarzan 1 (23.37km) and Pyrgos (33.20) – the longest stage of the rally – are run before a tyre fitting zone. A shortened Tarzan 2 (12.68km) acts at the event’s Power Stage.

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