Hyundai wants to raise its head in Australia

Hyundai Motorsport n’a pas pu empêcher M-Sport de décrocher les titres Pilotes et Constructeurs à l’issue du Wales Rally GB. Le constructeur coréen se rend donc en Australie pour la dernière épreuve de l’année disputée cette semaine sans véritable enjeu autre que celui de marquer les esprits en concluant la saison sur une bonne note.

“We approach the Rally of Australia with good hopes of achieving a good team result, confirms Michel Nandan, Team Principal of Hyundai Motorsport. We have all the ingredients to be competitive on Australian soil. We have to accept our second place in the Championship behind M-Sport, but we can also see the 2017 season as real progress for our team. »

“If we put it all together in Australia, I hope not only will we be in the fight for victory but we can also put several cars on the podium, insists the Belgian. There will be new specials this year in addition to the ones we know. We took third place in 2016 with Thierry (Neuville) and Nicolas (Gilsoul, the co-driver) and our ambitions are clearly higher this year. Our opponents will want the same thing and we will have to perform at our best level. »

Thierry Neuville will be all the more motivated as he will seek to finish runner-up after regaining second place in the Championship at the end of Wales Rally GB where he finished second.

“I like Australia. It’s an event where I finished on the podium twice (2nd in 2013 and 3rd last year), recalls the Belgian. My objective is clear: I want to secure my second place in the Championship. We know that we have the technical package to move forward and we should be able to succeed by having a little success. »

Hyundai Motorsport will also be able to count on the reinforcement of Andreas Mikkelsen who won the Australian Rally in 2016 with Volkswagen Motorsport.

“Australia is probably my favorite rally of the season and I experienced some great things there. I have fantastic memories of my victory in 2016 and I hope we will be in the game again with Hyundai, adds the Norwegian. It would be a great way to end the season and prepare for the 2018 campaign. It always remains a demanding event where nothing is guaranteed. We will have an advantageous starting position and we intend to make good use of it. »

Hyundai Motorsport has three victories this season and ten podium finishes. Thierry Neuville is 14 points ahead of Ott Tänak (M-Sport) before the last meeting of the season. Hayden Paddon will be the third driver fielded by the Asian team.