Hyundai insists it has made the “more sensible choice” to contest subsequent week’s Safari Rally Kenya with out its a lot anticipated 2025 automotive replace bundle that debuted in Sweden final month.
The South Korean producer will head to Africa for the hardest occasion on the WRC calendar with a trio of i20 N Rally1 vehicles competing within the specification that ended the 2024 marketing campaign (minus the hybrid unit and with the air restrictor modifications as per the 2025 technical rules).
Hyundai spent a lot of final 12 months engaged on a big improve bundle for 2025, utilising 4 homologation jokers to enhance its i20 N for drivers Thierry Neuville, Ott Tanak and new signing Adrien Fourmaux. The enhancements centred round a revised suspension structure and weight discount.
This bundle made its debut on Sweden’s snow levels final month with group principal Cyril Abiteboul fairly proud of the efficiency regardless of the upgrades being primarily designed for gravel and asphalt rallies.
Nevertheless, a mixture of things has prompted the group to place these updates on ice for the go to to Kenya subsequent week, earlier than returning to its full 2025 bundle. Abiteboul is, nevertheless, assured that the choice gained’t have an effect on the group’s efficiency.
“[The car we will use] would be the end-of-2024 specification, so it isn’t the spec that ran in Kenya final 12 months as a result of clearly we had a variety of points after Kenya significantly round transmission [that were addressed], in order that automotive will not be what is going to run in Kenya this 12 months,” Abiteboul advised Motorsport.com.
“It’s a resolution now we have made to optimise the provision of components as we had a really busy winter as we received the 2025 specification very late and that made it very marginal to make it with the freight [to Kenya]. It was a little bit of an optimisation of the general operation that led to this resolution.
“We don’t assume that by way of efficiency there will likely be any deficit or make a giant distinction. It’s all about reliability and sign-off and mileage [on the parts] and total the selection to run the automotive because it was on the finish of 2024 was higher than working the 2025 automotive.
“There was nothing mistaken with [the updates in Sweden] however frankly we didn’t actually design these modifications for Sweden for snow, we designed these modifications for the circumstances we face this 12 months, which is principally gravel and a little bit of Tarmac.
“However in the event you take a look at Thierry and Adrien, by the top of the weekend it is extremely clear that the efficiency of the automotive was there or thereabouts.”
Thierry Neuville, Martijn Wydaeghe, Hyundai World Rally Workforce Hyundai i20 N Rally1
Photograph by: Purple Bull Content material Pool
Whereas Hyundai’s WRC challenger will likely be with out its 2025 updates, it should characteristic a brand new improve particular for the rigours of Kenya’s notoriously robust gravel roads.
The group has developed a revised snorkel. Snorkels are units that protrude from the bonnet of the automotive designed to guard the engine from ingesting water or mud, which can have an effect on combustion and may even severely injury the engine. It’s significantly efficient on the Safari Rally, which options thick fesh-fesh sand and deep water splashes.
“We may have a greater instance of the one we used final 12 months – [last year’s snorkel] was perhaps a bit primary, so this additionally exhibits a number of the homework that now we have accomplished,” added Abiteboul.
Homework addressed in difficult pre-event take a look at
Sole Hyundai Kenyan podium got here in 2021
Photograph by: Austral / Hyundai Motorsport
Kenya has confirmed to be a very difficult rally for Hyundai, because it has solely recorded one podium end from its 4 makes an attempt, when Tanak completed third in 2021. Chief rival Toyota has gained each version since its return to the calendar in 2021, scoring a dominant 1-2-3-4 in each 2022 and 2023.
Reliability points have largely been Hyundai’s downfall however the group has targeted on addressing these issues after every go to to Kenya. The issue fixing has continued within the lead as much as subsequent week’s third spherical of the championship following a difficult pre-event take a look at, held in tough circumstances, that highlighted {an electrical} frailty.
“Hopefully now we have made a step however what I do know for certain is that each situation we confronted final 12 months in Kenya has been addressed – however every time we go to Kenya we appear to unearth new points,” mentioned Abiteboul.
“We truly had fairly an eventful pre-event take a look at for Kenya the place we noticed one thing that was not precisely on the degree we wish, significantly whether it is raining so much.
“The pre-event take a look at was difficult for the group and I’ve to offer credit score to the group for doing a really sturdy job to offer most preparation to the drivers.
“But it surely exhibits that it isn’t a straightforward problem. I choose to search out these reliability points within the take a look at slightly than throughout the rally. We have been speaking about doing our homework, however that field is ticked.”
Safari Rally Kenya begins subsequent Thursday with the primary of 21 levels.
On this article
Tom Howard
WRC
Hyundai Motorsport
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