From a disastrous Friday to a happy Sunday, Hyundai is doing (very) well in Finland

Friday evening, we almost had a little trouble to Hyundai on the Rally from Finland. Of the three Korean machines entered, two were already on the mat, with a big scare for the crew Ott Tänak – Martin Järveoja in the third special. An impressive accident, to the point of sending the Estonian co-pilot to the hospital for a day of observation. The second, that of local Esapekka Lappi, had left the road because of ruts and ended its race against a tree.

Alone Thierry Neuville could still wear the colors of Hyundai for the rest of the weekend but the Belgian, never in the game against the swift Toyota, also suffered in terms of pace. But sometimes, in rallying, there is no point in running... you have to start on time! Ultra-dominant at the start of the weekend, the Toyotas experienced various mishaps which eliminated three of their five competing cars. An accident for Takamoto Katsuta on Friday, a mechanical problem for Elfyn Evans on Saturday (and an accident on Sunday) and above all, the incredible crash of Kalle Rovanperä on Sunday in the penultimate round promoted Thierry Neuville to an unexpected 2nd place , behind the stainless Sébastien Ogier !

A 2nd place as a victory for Hyundai

The championship leader, as a perfect manager, also managed a solid Sunday to score big points in the championship (23 points over the weekend). Result of the races: even if Hyundai never seemed in the match for victory in Finland, the Korean team leaves with a greater lead in both championships! Among the Drivers, Thierry Neuville now has a 27-point lead over his new runner-up Sébastien Ogier, thanks in particular to the retirements of his direct rivals Elfyn Evans and Ott Tänak, while Hyundai – with one car compared to four on Friday evening – took 20 points ahead of Toyota among the Manufacturers!

“We were obviously very anxious going into Finland, Toyota's national event, their five cars and their excellent preparation here. As we expected, it was a challenge and we were clearly behind from the start of the weekend, and things went from bad to worse with the loss of Ott and Martin's car, highlights Cyril Abiteboul. The rest of the weekend was going to be very difficult for us, but we managed to stay focused, play for the long haul and work on set-ups to try and mitigate our points loss on Sunday. »

“Today's circumstances clearly helped, but we managed to give Thierry and Esapekka what they needed to put pressure on their opponents, adds Hyundai Team Principal. We left by increasing our lead in the championships. The summer break is welcome, and we look forward to the latter part of the season to try to consolidate these positions. »

Hyundai managed to put a morale blow on the Toyota clan before the summer break and the last four rounds of the season, which should be more favorable to the i20 N Rally1. What if this Rally of Finland was the turning point of this 2024 championship?

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