Whatshot
Hyundai Wins Again in the World Rally Championship
Hyundai Wins Again in the World Rally Championship
Hyundai Motorsport has registered back-to-back wins in the 2022 FIA World Rally Championship (WRC), with Ott Tänak and Martin Järveoja securing a confident victory in Ypres Rally Belgium, the ninth round of the season.The Estonian crew, which was also victorious in the previous round in Rally Finland, took over at the top of the timesheets following Thierry Neuville and Martijn Wydaegheâs retirement from the lead on Saturday, and they pushed through Sundayâs four stages to claim the win by five seconds over Elfyn Evans. Oliver Solberg and Elliott Edmondson secured their best-ever WRC result with a solid run to fourth place, having used the weekend as a valuable learning opportunity in the Hyundai i20 N Rally1. Their considered approach to the 20-stage rally paid dividends with their nearest rival, Adrien Fourmaux, retiring in the penultimate stage. Neuville and Wydaeghe, meanwhile, salvaged three points from the Kemmelberg Power Stage having been on impressive pace throughout the weekend. The Belgian crew amassed eight stage wins in Ypres, as well as an allotted fastest time in SS10 on Saturday, underlining their form on home tarmac. The Hyundai i20 N Rally1 car has now delivered three victories in 2022: On gravel in Sardinia and Finland, and now on tarmac in Belgium. Crew Notes: Ott Tänak/Martin Järveoja
Tänak said: âTo win in Ypres is a big surprise for us, just as it was in Finland. We were somehow able to pull things together during the rally, even if I didnât feel completely comfortable all the time. The speed was enough to maintain our position today and to keep a good rhythm right to the end; Iâm very happy with what weâve achieved.â
Crew Notes: Oliver Solberg/Elliott Edmondson
Solberg said: âIt is fantastic to have such a great result finally. We have come close many times, but it is nice to get the whole package working so strongly together. I didnât have a good tarmac rally last time in Croatia, and coming off the back of a frustrating time in Finland, it has definitely been a hard couple of weeks. The team has been incredibly supportive, weâve had great teamwork to get where we are now.â Crew Notes: Thierry Neuville/Martijn Wydaeghe
Neuville said: âA disappointing weekend for us and the fans. Congratulations to Ott for bringing home the victory after we lost our first place on Saturday. The team has done an incredible job, and this result will be a great motivational boost.
âFrom my side, the most positive thing to take away from this event is the reliability and performance of the car. We have had three rallies in a row without any major issues.â Deputy team director Julien Moncet said: âThis is a great victory after another fantastic drive from Ott and Martin to get us on top of the podium again. We have taken back-to-back wins, first on gravel in Finland and now on tarmac in Ypres, so we have shown the car is capable of winning everywhere and this is really encouraging.
âOliver and Elliott also had an amazing rally. They came here a bit unsure after the difficulties they faced in Finland. We tried to put them in the best position possible to bounce back â and they did just that with a good performance and their best result so far.
âFor Thierry and Martijn, of course their retirement yesterday meant they could only focus on the Power Stage. I was very impressed with how Thierry reacted so positively in the face of disappointment, we can learn a lot from his attitude.â Next rally
The FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) moves back to gravel for round ten of the 2022 season on the punishing roads of the Acropolis Rally Greece from 8 to 11 September.
Final results Ypres Rally Belgium:
1
O. Tänak/ M. Järveoja
Hyundai i20 N Rally1
2:25:38.9
2
E. Evans/ S. Martin
Toyota GR Yaris Rally1
+5.0
3
E. Lappi/ J. Ferm
Toyota GR Yaris Rally1
+1:41.6
4
O. Solberg/ E. Edmondson
Hyundai i20 N Rally1
+3:28.5
5
T. Katsuta/ A. Johnston
Toyota GR Yaris Rally1
+6:06.1
6
S. Lefebvre/ A. Malfoy
Citroën C3 Rally2
+9:45.7
7
A. Mikkelsen/ T. Eriksen
Å koda Fabia Evo
+10:03.8
8
Y. Rossel/ V. Sarreaud
Citroën C3 Rally2
+10:54.8
9
C. Ingram/ C. Drew
Å koda Fabia Evo
+11:20.8
10
N. Gryazin/ K. Aleksandrov
Å koda Fabia Evo
+11:26.8
Championship for Manufacturersâ standings:
1
Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Team
381
2
Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team
293
3
M-Sport Ford World Rally Team
188
4
Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Team NG
100
Championship for Driversâ standings:
1
K. Rovanperä
203
2
O. Tänak
131
3
E. Evans
116
4
T. Neuville
106
5
T. Katsuta
92
6
C. Breen
64
7
E. Lappi
57
8
S. Loeb
35
9
S. Ogier
34
10
D. Sordo
34
11
G. Greensmith
34
12
A. Mikkelsen
25
13
O. Solberg
21