Hyundai ready to restore its image at the 2026 Rally Japan

After the victory of Thierry Neuville and Martijn Wydaeghe at Rally from Portugal, the crews Hyundai hope to maintain this momentum in Japan.

"Delighted to have won our first victory of the year, which was a long time coming.", emphasizes the 2024 world championWe were particularly competitive throughout the weekend, which is very encouraging for the future. The Belgian driver is currently seventh in the championship, two points behind Sébastien Ogier, which has experienced setbacks in the Coimbra region.

“We are still struggling to find our feet on the tarmac, and we expect a difficult weekend in Japan,” Thierry Neuville continues. It is one of the most winding rallies on the calendar. WRC"...and probably one of the slowest. Reconnaissance is very demanding, as you have to take a lot of notes: the corners look similar, so you have to be able to differentiate them to adjust your speed accordingly."

Adrien Fourmaux expects a rally "very different" out of 2025

In 2025, in an event he had won three years earlier, Thierry Neuville was forced to retire in Japan, as was his teammate Adrien fourmauxThis year, the Frenchman is more optimistic but remains aware of the difficulties that await him:

"The Rally Japan will be very different this year, as it will take place in May and not in the autumn, as usual."explains the northernerConditions should be more predictable, but the roads remain technical, with narrow sections that demand intensity on every stage.

Currently fourth in the championship, thirteen points behind Oliver Solberg's final podium position, the Fourmaux-Coria crew is enjoying a remarkable first half of the season. Apart from going off the road in Croatia, the Seclin native has never finished a rally this season outside the top five, even securing second place in Kenya.

"This will be the last asphalt race of the season, and last year we were fighting for podium places there, so I hope we can be competitive again."concluded the pilot, who recently announced he is expecting a child in November 2026.The atmosphere is always fantastic in Japan, so I'm really looking forward to being there.

Hayden Paddon returns after Croatia and Monte Carlo

Hayden Paddon joins the Hyundai fleet in Japan. The 39-year-old New Zealander, European Rally Champion in 2023 and 2024, is preparing to contest the third rally of his intermittent program in 2026.

"The only time I participated in the Rally Japan was in 2010, when it was still a gravel rally. I have no experience on these tarmac roads.", explains Paddon. We spent a lot of time analyzing the data and onboard videos, as many of the special stages will be similar to those of previous years.

Eleventh in the drivers' standings, the Geraldine native inherited third place overall in Croatia after Thierry Neuville's puncture, joining Takamoto Katsuta on the podium for his second victory. He thus secured Hyundai's second podium finish of the year, climbing onto the podium ahead of the Belgian world champion in 2026.

“I already feel much more comfortable in the car than I did in Croatia, and we’ve made some adjustments to the setup based on the lessons learned from that round.”, the Hyundai driver points out, The main objective is to get closer to, or even match, the pace of our teammates. Hayden Paddon, who participated in a test session before this round to improve his knowledge of the i20N WRC Rally1, will he repeat the surprise podium finish he achieved in his last rally?

ALSO READ > Toyota wants to restart the machine at home