Метка: Hyundai Motorsport

Neuville reveals “MacGyver” style WRC Safari Rally car repair

Опубликовано от ASPPA IMAGES ANO



The WRC points leader suffered a right-rear puncture towards the end  of stage three after clipping some loose rocks at the side of the road.

Neuville pressed on in the hope not to drop too much time, before his tyre exploded in sight of the finish. The Belgian reached the stage end losing 19.9s but the remains of the rubber had ripped a hole in the right-rear corner of his i20 N Rally1.

Prior to the final stage of the loop, Neuville and co-driver Martijn Wydaeghe pulled over on a road section to enact a repair that included fashioning a device to clean dust from inside the car using a tree branch and a cloth.  

The pair were then forced to wear goggles to battle any dust that managed to creep inside the car while navigating through the final stage. The duo, without hybrid power, reached the finish sitting in sixth overall, 48.0s behind rally leader Kalle Rovanpera.

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“Three or four kilometres into the second stage of the morning loop we got hit by a puncture and then we tried to carry on as fast as we could,” said Neuville.

“Unfortunately, the tyre exploded 150 metres before the finish and destroyed the whole bodywork, so for the last stage we had do some MacGyver stuff to try and survive in the dust but in the end it wasn’t as bad as expected, and in the end we got through with no problem.

There was a lot of [road] cleaning this morning so there should be a little bit less disadvantage on that side but again there are lots of stones, so the risk of puncture is very high. I cross my fingers that we get through without problem,” he added when asked about this afternoon’s stages.

 

Neuville ended the morning loop only 4.9s behind title rival Toyota’s Elfyn Evans, who also endured a tough start to the rally. Evans battled understeer in his GR Yaris in addition to a slow puncture that occurred in the first stage of the day.

“It was not the rhythm or the feeling we hoped to have, let’s say,” said Evans, who intends to make tweaks to the set-up in midday service. “It was a tricky morning.

“It is mostly the feeling behind the wheel and the set-up, getting confidence to turn it is the big thing. But I think everyone has been saying the same thing, but it seems like I’m not dealing with as well as the others. We can be better I think.”

“We probably have to make reasonably small steps to hopefully improve it [the car] a bit. We are not going to revolutionise it over lunch time.”

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Neuville hopeful Hyundai has addressed WRC Kenya reliability woes

Опубликовано от ASPPA IMAGES ANO


The Safari Rally, which hosts the third round of the WRC season this week, is renowned as a car-breaker thanks to its unique blend of rough terrain and changeable weather.

It has proven to be a bogey event for Hyundai since the event returned to the calendar in 2021, with its only podium finish to date achieved by Ott Tanak finishing third three years ago. The last two editions have seen Toyota score a 1-2-3-4 lock-out while Hyundai battled mechanical issues.

Last year, Neuville suffered a suspension failure which ended hopes of victory as the Belgian recovered to finish eighth on the road, before officials excluded him from the event following a breach of recce rules.

Team-mate Esapekka Lappi was in podium contention but a trio of propshaft failures curtailed his rally, while Dani Sordo finished a distant fifth.

Hyundai has since addressed its reliability issues through a series of upgrades in the off-season, and has made a strong start to 2024, winning the opening two events in Monte-Carlo (Neuville) and Sweden (Lappi).

Championship leader Neuville believes Hyundai will head to Africa stronger than in previous years.

“I think so,” Neuville told Motorsport.com when asked if he thought Hyundai had resolved its reliability issues. “We have constantly improved, however Kenya has been a tough event for us and for all of Hyundai over the past years, so hopefully the fourth time we go there we should be reliable enough.”

Thierry Neuville, Hyundai World Rally Team

Thierry Neuville, Hyundai World Rally Team

Photo by: Vincent Thuillier / Hyundai Motorsport

Neuville said Hyundai’s pre-event test in Spain was productive, adding: “It wasn’t the greatest surface and conditions but at least we were running the car at altitude, so it was interesting to also work on those parameters of the car.”

This year’s Safari Rally reverts to a more traditional Easter date instead of the June berth that the event held since its return in 2021.

As a result, the rally will take place during Kenya’s rainy season, which increases the likelihood of changeable weather. To help combat the possibility of heavy rain, Rally1 cars will be able to fit snorkel devices following a change in regulations.

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When asked about the possibility of extreme weather, Neuville responded: “We expect it to be hot but wet. It could be less rough, but it could be more of a lottery due to the weather. If there is a lot of rain definitely, [snorkels will be crucial].”

Hyundai team principal Cyril Abiteboul added: “Safari Rally Kenya is a historically challenging event for us. The unique conditions increase the potential for cars to succumb to technical issues caused by the surroundings, meaning we have to focus on being robust and reliable first and foremost.

“We have made a strong start to the season so we must go to Kenya with belief in ourselves. It is the first gravel event of the 2024 season, making it somewhat a testing ground for the 2024 iteration of our car.

“Our performance last year showed promise, so we are hoping to take it one step further and leave Kenya with a podium finish as a minimum.”



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Neuville clarifies WRC future amid anger over FIA technical reforms

Опубликовано от ASPPA IMAGES ANO


The Hyundai driver has moved to clarify his future after comments made in an interview with AutoHebdo this week suggested this season could be his last. The championship leader is in the final year of his contract with Hyundai and is yet to put pen to paper on a new deal.

Neuville has previously told Motorsport.com that he would like to secure a new two-year deal and this view remains. The 35-year-old also clarified that the only situation where he could envisage himself retiring from the championship next year would be if Hyundai decided to pull out.

“I never said I want to retire but I think if a manufacturer pulls out, I will probably retire, that is what I said,” Neuville told Motorsport.com.

“This has been turned that way by the media. For sure if Hyundai decided to pull out, I would probably be retired, but not only me.»

When asked about the comments made last year about remaining in the championship for a further two years, he replied: “Yeah for sure [I would like to].

“I never said that I want to retire; I don’t know where that came from. I said that if Hyundai pulls out, I could be retired by next year for example and that is the truth.

“If Hyundai carries on, and they still want me, then I would like to carry on of course.”

The comments have arrived in the wake of the FIA releasing its vision for the future of the WRC. While Neuville is in favour of proposals to improve the event formats and the championship’s promotion, he strongly opposes plans to make changes to the Rally1 technical regulations for next year.

Thierry Neuville, Martijn Wydaeghe, Hyundai World Rally Team Hyundai i20 N Rally1

Thierry Neuville, Martijn Wydaeghe, Hyundai World Rally Team Hyundai i20 N Rally1

Photo by: Romain Thuillier / Hyundai Motorsport

The FIA intends to remove hybrid power from the Rally1 cars and further reduce the performance of the cars through changes to the aerodynamics and the air restrictor to bring them closer to the Rally2 class. The exact details of the proposed aero changes are yet to be confirmed by the FIA.

The world motorsport governing body then wishes to introduce new Rally1 regulations for 2026 based on the current Rally1 car concept. The cars are expected to incorporate a larger spaceframe chassis, produce 330 horsepower and will be capped at €400,000.

“To be honest it was a bit of surprise for myself and many others that is for sure,” Neuville added.

“I would prefer something stable until the end of 2026, and to use that time period now to plan something nicely for the future of the WRC, whatever it would be I don’t know.

“The question is simple; who is going to join the championship in 2025 and 2026 with the regulations we have now in a transition period that change basically every year? I don’t know.

“Why I ask this question is that if we change the regulation [for 2025], it will bring additional costs to the existing manufacturers who are spending millions and millions for more than 10 years.

“They now have to modify the car and, okay, there is the removal of the hybrid — but what is the cost of a hybrid when you have a budget of nearly hundreds of millions of euros? Removing around 15 hybrid kits, which is roughly two million euros per year, where is the difference?

“So why not keep something stable until [the end of] 2026 and use this period now to develop something for 2027? Call all the manufacturers and bring them round one table and ask them ‘Who is interested in entering the WRC?’

“Maybe out of 20 you will maybe see seven, and the seven that stay you ask them what they need. The conversation is then about budgets, amount of people, technology, what type of cars you want to promote. That is the question and then from there you start, and you find a common sense regulation that works for everybody.

“Creating the promoter group within the FIA, changes to event formats, bringing back remote service to be closer to the public and reducing hospitality costs, these are interesting points because these are changes that make sense. If the promotion is great and the return on investment is great nobody cares how much a WRC car costs.”

Neuville says the FIA’s working group had not reached out him or his fellow drivers for input regarding the future vision, which he feels would have been valuable.

“I just find it a bit of a shame that the decisions have gone against what the teams have asked for, and the teams were not really considered in the decision, and also the drivers were not either,” he said.

“With all the feedback we gave, very little has been heard. I have never ever had any contact with the new FIA working group.

“I’m not a manufacturer, but I am the driver leading the championship and I have been here many years, so maybe also I can give some feedback on what has changed over the years and what changes have had a more negative impact over the years.”

Watch: WRC Safari Rally Preview with M-sport’s Adrien Fourmaux

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