Hyundai Worldwide Global Navigation
Motorsport Hyundai Takes Victory at 2024 Central European Rally with Double Podium Finish
Please use Safari to download the files.
Motorsport Hyundai Takes Victory at 2024 Central European Rally with Double Podium Finish
Motorsport Hyundai Takes Victory at 2024 Central European Rally with Double Podium Finish
Motorsport Hyundai Takes Victory at 2024 Central European Rally with Double Podium Finish
Motorsport Hyundai Takes Victory at 2024 Central European Rally with Double Podium Finish
Motorsport Hyundai Takes Victory at 2024 Central European Rally with Double Podium Finish
Motorsport Hyundai Takes Victory at 2024 Central European Rally with Double Podium Finish
Motorsport Hyundai Takes Victory at 2024 Central European Rally with Double Podium Finish
Motorsport Hyundai Takes Victory at 2024 Central European Rally with Double Podium Finish
KARPFHAM, Germany, October 20, 2024 – Hyundai Motorsport is celebrating a stunning victory – and double podium finish - after an exciting Super Sunday of Central European Rally in which Ott Tänak took control.
The rally win, which culminated with Sunday’s final stages on German tarmac, comes ten years after Alzenau-based Hyundai Motorsport’s debut win in WRC, also on home soil at Rallye Deutschland 2014. The result equals Hyundai Motorsport’s most number of wins in a season, matching the team’s achievement of five victories in 2022.
On Super Sunday, the sun broke free of the overcast clouds early in the morning – a reminder that fortunes can quickly change in the WRC. While the stages themselves were dry, conditions remained tricky with increasing pollution with every car and the ever-present threat of wet grass should a crew slide wide.
Tänak began the day 5.2 seconds away from first place, but moved into the lead after a dramatic SS15 Knaus Tabbert Am Hochwald 1 that caught out several crews. A mistake from Sébastien Ogier handed the Estonian a 1.9-second advantage, but this was reduced by four-tenths of a second on SS16.
Tänak pushed hard on SS17 to respond, setting the second-fastest time, before Ogier crashed and retired on the stage. The Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team driver now held a lead of 9.4 seconds, and provisionally maximum Saturday points, heading into the Power Stage. Not willing to risk valuable points, the Estonian crew’s measured drive on the final stage confirmed an excellent second win of the year.
Thierry Neuville remained cautious through the final four stages in his Hyundai i20 N RALLY1 HYBRID. This calm determination reaped rewards for the Belgian, who moved into third place – and the associated championship points - after the retirement of Ogier on the penultimate stage. Fourth fastest on the Power Stage secured bonus points; as a result, Neuville will head to Rally Japan with an advantage of 25 points over team-mate Tänak.
Andreas Mikkelsen had a character-building morning, suffering a puncture on the opening stage and hybrid issues on the start line of the next stage. The Norwegian saved his tyres for a final push on the Power Stage, in which he finished second to score four championship points.
The fight for the triple crown of the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) titles will move to Rally Japan, the final round of the season, where a tantalising climax of the 2024 season awaits. Neuville and Tänak are both in the drivers’ title hunt with their respective colleagues Martijn Wydaeghe and Martin Järveoja up for the co-drivers’ title. Hyundai Motorsport remains positive as it strives towards a third manufacturers’ championship to add to its 2019 and 2020 titles.
Crew Notes: Ott Tänak/Martin Järveoja (#8 Hyundai i20 N RALLY1 HYBRID)
Tänak said: “The rally was really intense – demanding from the get-go, with four drivers so close together and never more than ten seconds apart. The conditions were never easy, and although today was the best weather wise yet it was still challenging and unpredictable. I fought very hard with Seb and really tried to push today to secure the win. There is still hope for our drivers’ championship campaign but the manufacturers’ standings is very close with Toyota, so we have a big fight ahead of us in Japan.”
Crew Notes: Thierry Neuville/Martijn Wydaeghe (#11 Hyundai i20 N RALLY1 HYBRID)
Neuville said: “Overall, it has been a good weekend. Obviously, we came here with the hopes of winning the drivers’ and co-drivers’ titles in Germany, and a lot of supporters came down to line the stages to live an incredible moment with us, but unfortunately it wasn’t to be. Nevertheless, it was a good operation for the team, and we only lost two points to Toyota. Going to Rally Japan with 225 points is a comfortable lead, but we still need a trouble-free rally and a reliable car, especially on Sunday, to get through and hopefully secure the well-deserved titles.”
Crew Notes: Andreas Mikkelsen/Torstein Eriksen (#9 Hyundai i20 N RALLY1 HYBRID)
Mikkelsen said: “Result wise, this is not what we expected from this weekend. We had a crash on Friday, but otherwise there are a lot of positives to take from Central European Rally as well. Our speed overall when we were pushing has been close to the front, and the Power Stage was definitely the highlight. It’s a big step forward since Croatia; our feeling with the car was completely different, I felt at one with the Hyundai i20 N RALLY1 HYBRID on tarmac and really enjoyed driving it.”
Hyundai Motorsport President and Team Principal Cyril Abiteboul said: “The nerves were very high before coming here. Leading both championships also means that it was possible to lose a lot. We tried the best we could to balance the expectations and priorities between the crews and between the championship battle, but it was always going to be very difficult to play correctly. With today’s excellent team result, we know that a Hyundai Motorsport crew will win the 2024 WRC drivers’ and co-drivers’ titles. This was our primary target from the start of the season, so we are naturally delighted that we will be celebrating this together in Japan. We will give full support to both Thierry and Ott as they take on the final round of the season, but we want to make sure we also finish strongly as a team. The manufacturers’ title fight is still close so we must as a team all be on our A-game in Japan to give Toyota the hardest time possible in their backyard!”
Next rally
Final Classification – Central European Rally | ||||
| 1 | O. Tänak | M. Järveoja | Hyundai i20 N RALLY1 HYBRID | 2:37:34.6 |
| 2 | E. Evans | S. Martin | Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 Hybrid | +7.0 |
| 3 | T. Neuville | M. Wydaeghe | Hyundai i20 N RALLY1 HYBRID | +39.8 |
| 4 | T. Katsuta | A. Johnston | Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 Hybrid | +1:21.0 |
| 5 | G. Munster | L. Louka | Ford Puma Rally1 Hybrid | +3:41.9 |
| 6 | N. Gryazin | K. Aleksandrov | Citroën C3 | +9:17.6 |
| 7 | O. Solberg | E. Edmondson | Škoda Fabia RS | +9:34.1 |
| 8 | F. Mares | R. Bucha | Toyota GR Yaris | +11:41.5 |
| 9 | M. Marczyk | S. Gospodarczyk | Škoda Fabia RS | +12:10.6 |
| 10 | K. Kajetanovicz | M. Szczepaniak | Škoda Fabia RS | +12:20.3 |
Super Sunday Classification – Central European Rally | ||
| 1 | T. Katsuta | 27:11.1 |
| 2 | E. Evans | +3.8 |
| 3 | A. Fourmaux | +5.4 |
| 4 | O. Tänak | +5.6 |
| 5 | T. Neuville | +10.8 |
| 6 | G. Munster | +30.0 |
| 7 | O. Solberg | +1:34.3 |
2024 FIA World Rally Championship for Manufacturers’ Standings After Round 12 | ||
| 1 | Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team | 526 |
| 2 | Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Team | 511 |
| 3 | M-Sport Ford World Rally Team | 267 |
2024 FIA World Rally Championship for Drivers’ Standings After Round 12 | ||
| 1 | T. Neuville | 225 |
| 2 | O. Tänak | 200 |
| 3 | E. Evans | 185 |
| 4 | S. Ogier | 166 |
| 5 | A. Fourmaux | 146 |
| 6 | K. Rovanpera | 114 |
| 7 | T. Katsuta | 102 |
| 8 | D. Sordo | 44 |
| 9 | S. Pajari | 41 |
| 10 | G. Munster | 37 |
All results remain subject to official FIA confirmation.
Nicoletta Russo
nrusso@hyundai-ms.com
Hyundai Motorsport GmbH
Disclaimer: Hyundai Motor Group believes the information contained herein to be accurate at the time of release. However, the company may upload new or updated information if required and assumes that it is not liable for the accuracy of any information interpreted and used by the reader.
About Hyundai Motorsport GmbH
Hyundai Motorsport GmbH is responsible for Hyundai’s global motorsport activities, including the FIA World Rally Championship and Customer Racing projects. Since its inception in 2012, Hyundai Motorsport has established a strong reputation in WRC and claimed the manufacturers’ title in 2019 and 2020. The company embraced the all- new technical challenge of WRC’s hybrid era in 2022, resulting in the birth of the Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid. Following the creation of its Customer Racing department in 2015, Hyundai Motorsport has become a trusted partner for teams and drivers looking for success on the rally stages or on racetracks around the world. From its competitive Hyundai i20 N Rally2 to the front-running Hyundai ELANTRA N TCR, Hyundai Motorsport-built cars have claimed crowns in several national rally championships and titles in the FIA World Touring Car Cup (WTCR) (2018, 2019, 2022) and the TCR World Tour (2023). Hyundai Motorsport has supported an important perception shift for the Hyundai brand around the world over the past ten years and continues to play an instrumental role in driving Hyundai’s global high-performance N brand.
Further information about Hyundai Motorsport is available at: https://motorsport.hyundai.com
10 Years of Strategic Partnership: Hyundai Motorsport & Shell
Hyundai Global energy company Shell is a long-standing partner of Hyundai Motorsport, having supported the team since its debut WRC season in 2014. This year therefore marks a key milestone for the relationship: 10 years of strategic partnership. Shell has worked with the team across several iterations of technical regulations over the past decade, including some of the most advanced cars ever to grace the WRC stages. The partnership has produced an abundance of success, with the highlights being the celebration of two manufacturers’ titles together in 2019 and 2020. Furthermore, across the ten seasons to date, Hyundai Motorsport has had total engine reliability and no wear issues with the help of Shell Helix Ultra lubricants, which have been designed for ultimate engine performance without compromise.
To download high-resolution photos for editorial use, full drivers’ profiles, as well as other useful press information about the team please refer to: https://press.motorsport.hyundai.com/home
About Hyundai Motor Company
Established in 1967, Hyundai Motor Company is present in over 200 countries with more than 120,000 employees dedicated to tackling real-world mobility challenges around the globe. Based on the brand vision ‘Progress for Humanity,’ Hyundai Motor is accelerating its transformation into a Smart Mobility Solution Provider. The company invests in advanced technologies such as robotics and Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) to bring about revolutionary mobility solutions, while pursuing open innovation to introduce future mobility services. In pursuit of sustainable future for the world, Hyundai will continue its efforts to introduce zero emission vehicles equipped with industry-leading hydrogen fuel cell and EV technologies.
More information about Hyundai Motor and its products can be found at:
https://www.hyundai.com/worldwide/en/ or Newsroom: Media Hub by Hyundai
