Stunning victory and double podium finish for Hyundai in Central European Rally

Hyundai Motorsport is celebrating a stunning victory - and double podium finish - after an exciting Super Sunday racing of the 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 in Rallye Deutschland 2014.The result equals Hyundai Motorsport's most 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 were dry, conditions remained tricky with increasing dirt on the road 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 from 21 to 24 November. 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

Tänak said:"The rally was really intense - demanding from the start, 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

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

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."

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. 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

The fight for the three 2024 FIA World Rally Championship titles will go down to the wire at next month's Rally Japan. Andreas Mikkelsen will pilot the third Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid entry in the final round of a very competitive WRC season.

Final Classification - Central European Rally

Super Sunday Classification - Central European Rally

2024 FIA World Rally Championship for Manufacturers' Standings

After round 12

2024 FIA World Rally Championship for Drivers' Standings

After round 12

For more information, contact:

Deon Sonnekus

General Manager: Corporate Communications

Hyundai Automotive South Africa

Tel.+27 61355 1153

Email:deons@hyundai.co.za