Loeb and Elena on the podium in Chile, entered in July in Italy

Sébastien Loeb et Daniel Elena ont récolté leur premier trophée en compagnie de Hyundai Motorsport lors du Rally of Chile 2019. The Franco-Monegasque pair achieved four scratch times en route to a third final place aboard their i20 WRC coupe. 

“It was a difficult but pleasant and productive event, underlines the Alsatian. It's been a while since I've felt this comfortable inside a car. This good feeling shows that we are going in the right direction.

Even if the duel with his compatriot Sébastien Ogier (Citroën) was lost at the end of the race, the mission is accomplished for Sébastien Loeb. “There was no chance of catching him in the Power Stage. I was very happy to fight with him but the gap was too big on Sunday. We scored important points for the team and I am satisfied to make my contribution for the Manufacturers' title. »

The nine-time world rally champions are not done with the Hyundai i20 WRC Coupe, as they will be entered in the Rally di Alba (Italy) on July 27 and 28. This event, round of the Italian Rally Championship, takes place only on asphalt in the Piedmont region, halfway between Turin and Genoa in the north of the country.

This participation is made possible by the Cinzano Rally Team, which will manage the entry of the car. “We take this opportunity to allow Loeb to become more confident with our car in anticipation of its participation in future asphalt rallies », says Andrea Adamo, boss of Hyundai Motorsport.

Enough to give important indications as to the future WRC destinations of the Loeb-Elena duo. Their partial program includes six events in 2019 ; two rounds are still to be determined, while Germany and Catalonia are notably on the WRC calendar in the second half of the season.