Hyundai Motorsport is targeting a strong and consistent result across its three crews at the fastest event of the year, Rally Finland, the tenth round of the 2021 World Rally Championship season
Craig Breen and Paul Nagle will join Thierry Neuville/Martijn Wydaeghe and Ott Tänak/Martin Järveoja for the 19-stage rally, which will be held in autumn for the very first time
The team aims to demonstrate the same performance of the Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC from recent events, having finished on the podium in every single event so far this year.
Alzenau, Germany
September 24, 2021 – Hyundai Motorsport is ready to fly through the Finnish forests at the tenth round of the 2021 World Rally Championship (WRC) season, Rally Finland, where it will target a strong all-round performance with all three of its crews next weekend (October 1-3).
Hyundai Motorsport is aiming to continue its momentum from recent events, where it has demonstrated the performance of the Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC across a variety of surfaces. At the previous round of the season, Acropolis Rally, Estonian crew Ott Tänak and Martin Järveoja secured second place, their third podium of the season, with Dani Sordo and Cándido Carrera fourth. Thierry Neuville and Martijn Wydaeghe battled back from a power steering issue on Friday to recover to an eighth place finish on Sunday.
With the similarities to Rally Estonia, Hyundai Motorsport will field the same trio of crews on the gravel roads of Rally Finland. Neuville/Wydaeghe and Tänak/Järveoja will be joined by Craig Breen and Paul Nagle – the Irish crew’s first rally since their impressive podium at Ypres Rally Belgium.
The second of two visits to the country this year, Rally Finland will feature a markedly different profile to its Arctic counterpart as well as previous editions of the fast and furious event. With the event being held in autumn for the very first time, the conditions of the roads could become softer or rougher depending on the weather, with a potential for ice overnight as a result of cooler temperatures.
19 stages cover 287.11km of competitive distance at the Jyväskylä-based event. After shakedown on Friday morning, a mixed-surface street stage in the centre of the city opens the rally before crews head west to tackle five stages. Saturday is the longest day of the event, with nine stages comprising over half of the rally’s total distance. Two stages are run twice on Sunday to round out the fastest rally of the season.
Team Principal Andrea Adamo said: “Our target for this weekend has to be consistency across our crews with the Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC. With its similarities to Rally Estonia, we have the potential to have a strong result if we work together well as a team and minimise mistakes and mishaps. Although Thierry and Craig finished on the podium in Estonia, we were left wondering what could have been with Ott, and now is our chance to put that right. The championship fight continues, and we need to maximise the remaining rallies to keep moving forward.”
Crew Notes: Thierry Neuville/Martijn Wydaeghe (#11 Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC)
Difficult return to gravel for Belgians last time out in Greece
Looking to secure second podium in Finland in 2021
Neuville said: “Rally Finland is a very popular event – in the past, it seemed only Scandinavians could win there, but other drivers have recently been getting faster in Finland as well. I haven’t been able to win it yet, but I have finished on the podium once in the past. It is a very nice event, but it’s one of the tougher ones for me. I am always fast at technical rallies where road position is very important, however in Finland the goal is to keep it flat and it’s very different to my natural driving style. However I am able to adapt, and this is where the recce plays a vital role; you need to have a lot of trust in your pace notes and just go for it. We know we have what it takes to finish on the podium, so that’s our target for next weekend.”
Crew Notes: Ott Tänak/Martin Järveoja (#8 Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC)
Estonians claimed third podium finish of 2021 at Acropolis Rally
Previously took victory Rally Finland in 2018 and 2019
Tänak said: “The characteristics of this rally will be very different. There is a big part of the route that we haven’t seen previously, so we will need to put a lot of effort into our recce to ensure our pace notes are completely accurate. The weather could also change quite a bit, so this will keep us on our toes. As the last full gravel rally with this generation of WRC cars – in my opinion, they are probably the best ever – I will definitely enjoy this event. The roads are normally both fun and challenging at the same time, and as it is so fast with small gaps we should have a great competition. Let’s see if we can take a third Rally Finland victory – we know our competitors and it will be tough, but we have worked very hard in the last two years so now is our chance to show we can fight in fast rallies.”
Crew Notes: Craig Breen/Paul Nagle (#42 Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC)
First WRC event since podium in Belgium
Irish crew aiming to replicate strong performance of Estonia
Breen said: “As a crew we tend to go well on events with this kind of profile, and I think this could be another strong event for us given our current form. The roads evolve every year, and as we’ve had a two-year break I think we will notice a lot of changes. In terms of set-up, you need a car that gives you confidence to carry the speed on the roads, and a stable rear will enable you to really chuck the car into those long, fast corners and jumps. It’s the rally where you have to be the most committed. I’m still searching for my first win – it feels like it has been eluding us now for some time, but we are getting closer and Finland will present one of the better opportunities this year, so we will do everything in our power to make it happen.”
WRC2 Overview
Competing with the brand-new Hyundai i20 N Rally2 in Finland will be Oliver Solberg with new co-driver Craig Drew and Jari Huttunen and Mikko Lukka.
Solberg was the sole entrant for the Hyundai Motorsport N team in Acropolis Rally, where the Swede was forced to retire with suspension damage after showing incredible pace in the opening stages of the event. It was the first time the new car had competed on gravel, and Solberg registered two stage victories before his rally came to a premature end.
Huttunen boasts previous success at his home event, having won his class in 2017 and claimed two second-place finishes in 2018 and 2019. Following his victory in Ypres Rally Belgium, the Finn is targeting a second consecutive visit to the top step of the WRC2 podium.
Solberg said: “This is probably the rally I have been looking forward to the most this year. I can’t wait to take the Hyundai i20 N Rally2 there – we saw we had good speed and we were leading in Greece. The roads are gravel again but they are very different from Acropolis and so much faster. One of the things I really look forward to is driving in the dark, which will add to the extra challenge. In terms of a result, I know there are some really fast guys who know almost every inch of these roads, so we have to be realistic. I am focused on taking the experience and enjoying driving the car. My new co-driver Craig is a good guy, a former team-mate and somebody I know well. I’m looking forward to working with him. ”
Huttunen said: “I am really looking forward to getting back into the Hyundai i20 N Rally2 in Finland. This will be my first WRC2 event on gravel with the car, so we might face a steep learning curve. I am hoping my existing knowledge of these roads will put me on the front foot next weekend, as I have finished on the podium in the past and taken a victory there. We have shown the car is capable of winning rallies in Ypres Rally Belgium, and I think we have the potential for another good result at this demanding and fast rally.”
Team Principal Andrea Adamo said: “In the tough conditions of Acropolis Rally, we demonstrated that the Hyundai i20 N Rally2 is capable of competing at the front of the field. Our crews will face a different set of tricky challenges in Rally Finland, however we are confident we can use our learnings from the car’s first two events to put together a strong weekend. We want to showcase the full potential of the car on gravel as well as secure another strong finish in Finland.”
Weekend at a Glance
The condensed itinerary in Rally Finland begins with shakedown on Friday morning, ahead of the mixed-surface Harju (2.31km) street stage in the centre of Jyväskylä. Ässämäki (12.31km) and Sahloinen-Moksi (21.37km) are run twice, split by a tyre fitting zone, follows by Oittila (19.75km).
Nine stages on Saturday covers more than half of the rally’s distance. Kakaristo-Hassi (18.17km), Päijälä (22.61km), Arvaja (13.49km) and Patajoki (20.55km) are run twice, with the loops split by service, before a repeat of Harju bring the day to an end.
Sunday features four stages; Laukaa (11.75km) and Ruuhimäki (11.12) are repeated with no service or tyre fitting zone to split the day’s action. The second pass of Ruuhimäki acts at the event’s Power Stage.