Hyundai Rally 1 Machine in Italy rally Hyundai Rally 1 Machine in Italy rally

2024.06.18 Hyundai Motorsport Team 분량11min

[2024 WRC Round 6] A Stunning Comeback in Italy: Hyundai Achieves Double Podium

In the sixth round of the WRC, held on the island of Sardinia, Hyundai achieved a double podium finish in a thrilling race that saw intense competition from the start. Ott Tänak maintained his pace until the end, overtaking Sébastien Ogier, who was slowed down by a tire puncture, in a dramatic last-minute move. Tänak secured a thrilling victory by just 0.2 seconds. This win allowed Hyundai to maintain its lead in the manufacturers' standings, with both Thierry Neuville and Tänak occupying the top two spots in the drivers' standings.

Hyundai Rally 1 Machine in Italy rally

The sixth round of this season's WRC took place on the rugged gravel roads of Sardinia, the second largest island in Italy. The Italian Rally, which has been part of the WRC since its inception in 1973, moved to Sardinia in 2004. The previous event in Sanremo featured mixed surfaces of tarmac and gravel, but Sardinia presents narrow, rough stages with obstacles like trees and rocks. The narrow and fast stages leave little room for error, and the high Mediterranean summer temperatures challenge both drivers and their machines.

Hyundai Rally 1 Machine in Italy rally

The recent Italian Rallies have been as unpredictable as the challenging courses themselves. Photo: WRC (https://www.wrc.com)


Historically, Sébastien Loeb and Sébastien Ogier hold the record for the most wins at the Italian Rally, with four victories each. Thierry Neuville follows with three wins, while Dani Sordo and Ott Tänak have two wins each. The Hyundai trio has collectively won seven times in Italy. However, the event has seen different winners for the past four years, making it highly unpredictable. This year, the rally saw a total of 87 entries, including eight Rally1 cars and 40 WRC2 cars.


Driver Portrait of Hyundai World rally team

Hyundai prepared for the Italian rally with its top players.

Hyundai entered the Italian Rally with its strongest lineup. Championship points leader Thierry Neuville led the team, with Ott Tänak also adapting well to the rally car. Neuville had won in Monte Carlo and secured three podium finishes, holding a 24-point lead over Elfyn Evans. However, as the leader, he had to start first and clear the road, a challenging task in the hot Sardinian conditions compared to the slightly wet conditions in Portugal.


Tänak, with a podium finish of second place in Portugal, was closely chasing Evans by 7 points. With a favorable starting order, he aimed for victory and hoped to surpass Evans in the points standings, creating a Hyundai 1-2 lead. Sordo, sharing the car with Lappi and Mikkelsen, made his season debut in Portugal, finishing fifth with three stage top times, quickly finding his pace.



Drivers in WRC Rally 1 class

Both Toyota and Ford are fully prepared to take the crown from Hyundai.

Toyota, which fielded four cars in Portugal, chose to exclude Kalle Rovanperä, entering Elfyn Evans, Takamoto Katsuta, and Sébastien Ogier. Evans, tasked with being the team's ace, has three podium finishes and sits second in points, but the gap to Neuville is widening, and he is under fierce pressure from Tänak. Katsuta, now the team's points scorer, lags far behind part-time entrant Ogier.

 

Ogier, the record holder for most wins in Italy, has made three appearances this season, securing two victories and one second place. However, his part-time status limits his contributions to both his individual title chase and the team's points tally.

 

M-Sport Ford entered Adrien Fourmaux and Grégoire Munster. Fourmauxs 4th place in Portugal was promising, but Munster is still struggling to adapt to Rally1. With completion being the main goal, failing to show clear potential by the second half of the season could mean opportunities for other new talents next year.

In WRC2, 40 entries crowded the field. While most key drivers participated, some, like Oliver Solberg and Nikolay Gryazin, chose not to score points in this event. WRC2 drivers do not need to participate in the entire race, but only add up their scores from the five races. Additionally, they must decide in advance whether they will use the points or not before the game. WRC2 leader Yohan Rossel, paired with new co-driver Benjamin Boulloud, participated, but Solberg withdrew due to an allergic reaction requiring hospital treatment. Hyundai's entries included Nicolas Ciamin and Teemu Suninen, with Suninen needing a strong performance to boost his bid for a Rally1 return after retiring in Portugal.


Sardegna Rally maps

This year’s Italian rally saw several changes. The rally headquarters moved from Olbia to Alghero, and the Thursday night super special stage was removed. Friday’s stages were reduced to four, totaling 77.82 km, nearly 60 km shorter than the previous year. Saturday saw a slight increase, but the total stage count dropped from 19 to 16, with a total distance of 266.12 km compared to 320.88 km the previous year. The iconic Monte Lerno stage on Saturday was shortened from 49.9 km to 25.33 km, though the famous Mickey’s Jump remained.

Hyundai Rally 1 Machine is running in Italy rally

The racers faced the arduous and narrow Sardinian course filled with obstacles right from the first day.


On Friday morning, May 31, participants began with a shakedown test in the quiet outskirts of Ittiri. The 2.08 km technical course, usually used for rallycross and autocross, mixed tarmac and gravel. The afternoon moved closer to the northern coast, starting the competition at 2:30 PM with SS1 Osilo-Tergu, the longest and one of the toughest stages at 25.65 km. This was followed by the 13.26 km SS2 Sedini-Castelsardo. Both stages were repeated without a mid-day service.

Veteran Sébastien Ogier took the early lead, followed by Tänak and Fourmaux. Neuville, tasked with road cleaning, trailed the leader by 28 seconds. Elfyn Evans faced tire issues right from the first stage. Tänak set the fastest time in the next stage, with Neuville close behind, while Ogier maintained the overall lead. Evans struggled without a spare tire, while Sordo, 7.9 seconds behind Tänak, complained about the slippery conditions.


Dani sordo is running  on the road

Despite complaints about the slippery roads, Sordo performed admirably on the first day. Photo: WRC (https://www.wrc.com)

SS3 and SS4 saw Ogier and Neuville take the top times, respectively, with Ogier leading overall, followed closely by Tänak. Sordo was 28.7 seconds behind Tänak in third place. Katsuta and Neuville were in fourth and fifth place, respectively, with Evans and Munster trailing. Fourmaux fell to sixth place due to a tire puncture in SS3 and subsequently retired with electrical issues.


Sordo commented on the fierce competition with Katsuta for a podium finish on the first day: "It's really good, but many difficulties. It was so difficult to keep the tyres in good shape, we made a small mistake this morning with the spare tyre but we are human. We went out with four hard and one soft by accident! But it is OK."



Hyundai Rally 1 machine is running  on the road

The fierce battle between Tänak and Ogier continued on the next day.

On June 1, Saturday, the competition continued with SS5 Tempio Pausania, a 12.03 km stage, followed by three more stages, repeated in the afternoon, covering 149 km without mid-day service. Tänak took the opening stage, overtaking Ogier by 0.1 seconds to lead overall. Neuville moved up to third but faced uncertainty with his soft tire choice. He explained: "I don't know, it didn't felt quick. So sandy in there, much more than expected. Smooth run through, keeping the rear in line. If you want to do more, you can easily hit something."

 

In SS6 Tula-Erula, a 22.61 km long stage, Ogier reclaimed the top time and resumed the lead. The fierce battle between Tänak and Ogier continued, with Neuville closing in despite managing his soft tires' wear carefully.

Hyundai Rally 1 machine is running on the road

Neuville suffered an accident in a corner. Photo: WRC (https://www.wrc.com)


The SS8, which concluded the morning session, saw drivers tackle the Tula-Erula stage again. With the loose gravel cleared, the exposed rocks and midday heat made conditions even more punishing. Tänak set the fastest time, pushing Ogier to second place by 3.5 seconds. However, bad news came from the Hyundai camp: Neuville went off course at the 15 km mark and retired. I lost concentration for a tenth of a second,” he explained, noting that he was unable to rejoin the course as there was no one to help him. Katsuta inherited third place but soon faced gearbox issues, expressing frustration with the lack of a mid-day service. In WRC2, Pierre-Louis Loubet, Teemu Suninen, and Emil Lindholm also retired.


Hyundai Rally 1 machine is running on the road

Tänak accelerates relentlessly to overtake Ogier. Photo: WRC (https://www.wrc.com)


In the afternoon, Ogier clocked the fastest times in SS9 to SS11, gradually widening the gap from Tänak. Hyundai advised their drivers to avoid pushing too hard, considering Neuville’s absence. Ogier finished Saturday in the lead, with Tänak and Sordo in second and third places, respectively. Sordo had a comfortable margin over Evans in fourth, increasing the likelihood of a double podium for Hyundai. "I expected that this second half of the day wouldn't be so complicated, but I do like these stages. Let's see one more day, but this was a long, long day. They are two very different roads tomorrow, one quite wide and one quite narrow."



Hyundai Rally 1 machine is running on the road

The final day’s route along the coastline proved challenging with easily stirred dust.

On Sunday, June 2, the final battle began with SS13 Cala Flumini, covering 12.55 km, followed by SS14 Sassari-Argentiera, at 7.10 km. Participants repeated these two stages. The rising dust hindered visibility, making cornering difficult for many drivers.


Neuville, starting first again due to his retirement on Saturday, set the opening fastest time, showing determination for Super Sunday points; "Not very proud of yesterday. Disappointed. Today it's about the extra points. The beginning was good, but the ending was cleaning a lot. Nothing is over. Before Portugal we had only a 6 point lead, one rally it changed a lot. Season is still long,” Neuville commented. 


Hyundai Rally 1 machine is running on the road

Sordo adopted a conservative strategy to secure a podium finish. Photo: WRC (https://www.wrc.com)

In SS14, a rehearsal for the final power stage, Neuville again set the fastest time, with Tänak close behind. Tänak remarked, "Stage itself - obviously it's tricky. Not too much to like about it, hard work and driving is rough. Roads are already turning into the fesh-fesh, very inconsistent grip.” Despite this, he persistently closed in on Ogier, reducing the gap from 17.1 seconds to 6.6 seconds.


In SS15, which repeated the opening stage, Tänak clocked the fastest time, narrowing the gap to just 6.2 seconds. Tänak pushed for his first win of the season, while Sordo aimed for a podium finish. Although Evans chased Sordo aggressively, the gap of 15.3 seconds gave Sordo some comfort.


Hyundai Rally 1 machine is running on the road

Ogier's tire puncture allowed Tänak to secure a miraculous victory by 0.2 seconds. Photo: WRC (https://www.wrc.com)


Rally1 driver to enter the course. He improved his morning top time by about 6 seconds, finishing the rally in 4 minutes and 55 seconds. Tänak followed with a time 2.3 seconds slower than Neuville, completing the stage in second place. The outcome now hinged on Ogier's performance. Drama unfolded as Ogier suffered a tire puncture near the end of the stage, allowing Tänak to secure his first win of the season. The final margin between Tänak and Ogier was just 0.2 seconds, tying the record for the closest finish in WRC history, matching the 2011 Jordan Rally where Ogier and Latvala had a similar finish.



Ott tanak to win the trophy

With determination, Hyundai secured a double podium, significantly widening the gap with Toyota.

With Sordo finishing third, Hyundai achieved a consecutive double podium following Portugal. Additionally, Neuville and Tänak shared the top two spots in the Super Sunday points. This event marked Sordo's 56th career podium finish and Neuville's 25th Power Stage win. Evans finished fourth, and Munster survived to take fifth. Sixth place went to WRC2 winner Yohan Rossel, followed by Nil Solans, Martin Prokop, and Kajetan Kajetanowicz.

Ott tanak and thierry neuville

Neuville maintained his lead in the championship points, while Tänak overtook Evans to rise to second place in the drivers' standings.


As a result of this race, Neuville maintained his lead in the championship standings. Tänak, with 104 points, tied with Evans but moved to second place due to his win. After a sluggish start to the season, Tänak has steadily improved, culminating in his first victory with Hyundai, bringing him into serious contention for the title. Neuville now leads Tänak by 18 points, and Hyundai has extended its lead over Toyota to 13 points in the team standings.



Hyundai Rally 1 machine is running on the road

With a total of seven wins, including three consecutive recent victories, Hyundai has proven itself as a dominant force in the Italian Rally.

Hyundai's victory marked its third consecutive win in the Italian Rally since 2022. Hyundai has now won seven times in the 21 editions of the Italian Rally held since 2004, establishing itself as a dominant force in this event. The frequency of its victories has increased notably since the mid-2010s.


 The next round, the 7th of the season, will take place in Poland from June 27-30. The Poland Rally, which began in 1921, boasts a long history, being the third oldest rally event after the Austrian Alpine Rally (Österreichische Alpenfahrt) and the Monte Carlo Rally. It was part of the WRC calendar at its inception in 1973. After successfully returning to WRC in 2014, it was removed from the calendar after 2017 due to crowd control and safety concerns, making its comeback after a five-year absence.


By Su-jin Lee


In 1991, Su-jin Lee’s passion for cars led him to enthusiastically write letters to the newly launched Korean car magazine Car Vision. This unexpected connection led him to start his career as an automotive journalist. He has served as editor and editorial board member for Car Visionand Automobile Life, and now works as an automotive critic. While eagerly covering the latest trends like electric vehicles, connected cars, and autonomous driving technology, he is also a car enthusiast who secretly hopes that the smell of gasoline engines will never disappear.



Infographic summarizing the scores up to the Italian rally