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MUNDIAL - RALIS HYUNDAI MOTORSPORT COM NOVIDADES

Terça, 24 Maio 2022 19:47 | Actualizado em Quinta, 28 Março 2024 01:26

Hyundai Motorsport customer results round-up bulletin
 
  • i20 N Rally2 crews claimed 16 WRC2 stage wins on Rally de Portugal, including a superb overall top time for Customer Racing Junior Driver Josh McErlean
  • Bryan Herta Autosport’s Elantra N TCR team took a first victory of the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge season in impressive style with a 1-2 finish at Mid-Ohio
  • Hyundai customers enjoyed a near perfect weekend in TCR Germany at Red Bull Ring as Jonas Karklys scored both pole positions and Jessica Bäckman took a pair of victories.
 
 The beginning of the season for Hyundai Motorsport’s WRC2 team saw Teemu Suninen deliver superb pace at the head of the class on a demanding Rally de Portugal weekend where three i20 N Rally2 crews claimed stage victories. The same event bought a first win of the season for the Hyundai Portugal-supported squad. Elsewhere there were rallying podiums in Belgium and Netherlands for i20 N Rally2 runners, and wins in Poland and Ireland for teams fielding i20 R5. On the track, Hyundai Motorsport’s full range of TCR cars continue to prove to be able to contend at the front in national and international series around the world.
 
WRC stage wins show off excellent pace of i20 N Rally2
 
The superb performance of the i20 N Rally2 was on full display on the rugged gravel roads of Rally de Portugal (May 19-22). Hyundai customers won 16 of the 21 stages in WRC2. On an event where a total of 12 Hyundai customers started the rally the majority of the success went to Teemu Suninen – making his first start of a planned full season in the championship. The Finn won 12 stages – including six of the eight on Friday’s marathon schedule – to break into the top ten overall and enjoy a healthy lead over the next best crew in the class. Heartbreakingly, an error on a wet road on the Power Stage cost almost certain victory.
 
The Power Stage was one of three top times for Oliver Solberg – returning to the wheel of the i20 N Rally2. There was also an incredible overall stage win for Customer Racing Junior Driver Josh McErlean, who took full advantage of the best of the road conditions on the Saturday night’s Super Special on Porto’s cobbled streets.
 
There was also reason for celebration in the Portuguese national event, which ran only until the end of Friday’s WRC stages, as Team Hyundai Portugal driver Ricardo Teodósio took victory in a brand new i20 N Rally2. The result was his first win in national competition as a Hyundai Customer, and first this year for the Hyundai Portugal-supported team. Continuing on for the full weekend, he and co-driver José Teixeira would finish 15th overall.
Teemu Suninen - i20 N Rally2 - Rallye de Portugal
Josh McErlean - i20 N Rally2 - Rally de Portugal
National championship win for Junior Driver
 
Customer Racing Junior Driver Grégoire Munster exhibited excellent pace to finish second overall at the Sezoensrally (May 12-14) and win the Belgian championship round at the event. Despite a former WRC car leading the way overall, Munster was able to set the fastest time overall on SS4 in his BMA-run i20 N Rally2 and lead through the middle part of contest. In total he was fastest in class on seven stages and ended the rally only 7.7 seconds behind the winner.

In the team’s second car Pieter Jan Michiel Cracco finished a strong fifth overall – fourth of those crews in the running for the national championship.
Gregoire Munster - i20 N Rally2 - Sezoensrally
Gregoire Munster - i20 N Rally2 - Sezoensrally
Van Deijne celebrates podium on home rally
 
In his first Dutch Open Rally Championship start with the i20 N Rally2 Kevin van Deijne came home second overall on the ELE Rally (May 21), their home round on the calendar, following a consistent run with co-driver Hein Verschuuren. In only his second competitive start in the car he was never outside of the top five times on the tarmac event as he went to take a podium, while still gaining experience with his new charge.
 
In his i20 R5 defending champion Bob de Jong finished fifth overall, despite losing around 30 seconds after stalling the car on one of the – otherwise tarmac – rally’s infamous off-road sections.
Kevin van Deijne - i20 N Rally2 - ELE Rally
Kevin van Deijne - i20 N Rally2 - ELE Rally
Super Sunday helps i20 R5 crew to Polish victory
 
Swedish driver Tom Kristensson scored a dominant win in the latest round of the Polish rally championship, Rajd Podlaski (May 21-22). The i20 R5 driver took a slender lead into the overnight halt after the first three stages. However, a storming run through Sunday’s tests yielded five fastest times resulting in overall victory by approaching 30 seconds.
 
Dominant win in latest Irish National event
 
i20 R5 driver Josh Moffett scored his fourth victory in as many starts in the Irish National Rally Championship at the Carlow Stages Rally (May 15). Moffett and co-driver Keith Moriarty led throughout the tarmac event, after winning each of the first five stages to build a gap of more than a minute over those chasing him. He cruised to victory on the finale, still extending his lead, despite missing out on the full set of top times from the competition.
 
i20 N Rally2 driver rewarded for consistent pace in Czech event
 
Martin Vlček finished sixth on Rallye Český Krumlov (May 20-21) after an impressively strong run for him and Alexandra Skripová in their Kowax 2BRally-prepared i20 N Rally2. The pair were in the top eight on each one of the 13 stages to earn a spot in the top ten.
 
Seventh place after strong showing on first Finnish gravel event
 
Riku Tahko began the summer gravel event portion of the Finnish rally championship with seventh place on the Länsirannikon Ralli (May 13-14). In his i20 R5 he started with a pair of ninth-placed times on the two short stages held the evening of the first day of competition. On the following day’s longer routes he improved his pace, and was able to move up the overall standings in the increasingly competitive national series.
Riku Tahko - i20 R5 - Lansirannikon Ralli
Riku Tahko - i20 R5 - Lansirannikon Ralli
Elantra N TCR teams take 1-2 from excellent Mid-Ohio outing
 
Hyundai Motor America-backed customers scored their first win of the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge season at Mid-Ohio (May 13-15). After escaping a first corner incident Hyundai teams dominated the two-hour event as the #98 Bryan Herta Autosport Elantra N TCR of drivers Parker Chase and Harry Gottsacker, and Rory van der Steur and Tyler Gonzalez’s Veloster N TCR combined to lead all-but 11 laps of the contest.
 
In the closing minutes of the race Hyundai teams ran 1-2-3-4, but ultimately only claimed two spots on the podium. Chase and Gottsacker combined for the victory ahead of reigning class champions Taylor Hagler and Michael Lewis in the #1 Elantra N TCR. The result further increased the champions’ lead in the points’ standings as van der Steur and Gonzalez moved into second in the championship after finishing fourth.
 
Double victory for Bäckman, ROJA Motorsport and the Veloster N TCR
 
A near-perfect double victory over the series’ weekend at Red Bull Ring (May 20-22) allowed ROJA Motorsport driver Jessica Bäckman to close to within a point of the TCR Germany points’ lead.
 
i30 N TCR driver Jonas Karklys qualified on pole position for both of the contests, but it was Bäckman in her Veloster N TCR who took the points for the wins. In Race 1, after inheriting the pole after Karklys dropped to the back following an engine change, she led from lights to flag in dominant fashion as Karklys battled from the back of the field up to finish fifth, between fellow i30 N TCR driver Patrick Sing in fourth and ROJA Motorsport team owner Robin Jahr in his Veloster N TCR.
 
In Race 2 Bäckman and Jahr came home first and second in a maiden 1-2 for the expanded team. The duo was part of the lead battle for most of the race, and were in the perfect position when the two drivers ahead collided to slip through for a superb result.
Jessica Bäckman - Velsoter N TCR - Red Bull Ring - TCR Germany
ROJA Motorsport - Red Bull Ring - TCR Germany
Jelmini leads Elantra N TCR drivers at Le Castellet
 
Target Competition driver Felice Jelmini finished as the best of the five Elantra N TCR drivers in both TCR Europe races at Paul Ricard (May 20-22). The Italian qualified an impressive second, just ahead of teammate Josh Files. However, while Files suffered in Race 1 after a slow start Jelmini held onto a podium position on a high-speed circuit that favoured competitor’s cars to open his trophy count for the 2022 season.
 
From his spot on the part-reversed grid in Race 2, Jelmini was able to add the points for eighth. Files made one of the stronger starts to Race 2, but was forced into the pits with a puncture that snatched a good result away from him. Janík Motorsport driver Maťo Homola was another to suffer a puncture in race.
 
Homola’s team-mate – Customer Racing Junior Driver Jáchym Galáš – finished ninth in the race, one place ahead of Nicola Baldan, who came away from the French weekend with a pair of top-tens.
Felice Jelmini - Elantra N TCR - TCR Europe - Paul Ricard
Felice Jelmini - Elantra N TCR - TCR Europe - Paul Ricard
Hyundai Motorsport Deputy Team Principal Julien Moncet said: “Our customers can be hugely proud of the performances over recent weeks. On Rally de Portugal three different crews scored WRC2 stage victories – including Josh McErlean taking a first overall WRC stage win of his career, and for the i20 N Rally2. Teemu Suninen was dominant for almost the entire weekend, only for a mistake to steal away the points his performance deserved. Away from WRC2 the i20 R5 continues to prove capable in national series around Europe, with the i20 N Rally2 continuing this trend with the national win in Portugal, and a podium in Netherlands. Similarly, drivers with all three Hyundai Motorsport Customer Racing TCR cars have taken excellent results – the Elantra N TCR 1-2 in the USA, the Veloster N TCR both victories with Jessica Bäckman at Red Bull Ring, where the i30 N TCR also won both pole positions.”
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