Sébastien Loeb discovers the Hyundai i20 WRC in testing

From the dunes of Peru to the snow-covered roads of South-East France, Sébastien Loeb and Daniel Elena radically changed horizons in the space of a few days. After his 2019 Dakar podium with the Peugeot 3008 DKR – PH Sport, the famous Franco-Monegasque tandem has returned to the cockpit of a WRC, that of their new mount for 2019, the Hyundai i20 Coupe.

Look who has arrived at the test! Oh, hello @SebastienLoeb!  #WRC #HMSGOfficial pic.twitter.com/JN64Qada9x

— Hyundai Motorsport (@HMSGOfficial) January 19, 2019

This test session was scheduled to allow Loeb to discover the driving of the car which allowed Thierry Neuville to finish twice as vice-world champion in 2017 and 2018. The nine-time world rally champion had already visited the Hyundai premises in Alzenau in order to mold its tub in particular.

If Thierry Neuville and Andreas Mikkelsen did most of the running yesterday, Loeb should be able to accumulate a little more kilometers this Sunday, less than five days before the start of the Rally Montecarlo.

“It wasn't easy to tackle the tests on the snow but we were quickly reassured, underlined the Alsatian after his first visits. The car is really good in these conditions. Make way for the asphalt (today). »

Ready to go!  @SebastienLoeb #WRC #HMSGOfficial #RallyMonteCarlo pic.twitter.com/ZXlqTPHqG7

— Hyundai Motorsport (@HMSGOfficial) January 20, 2019

Hyundai Motorsport was able to benefit from snow-covered roads on its test base, like what Citroën Racing encountered in recent days with Sébastien Ogier and Esapekka Lappi.

Discover more information on Sébastien Loeb's tests with Hyundai Motorsport in issue 2200 of AUTOhebdo, available from tomorrow evening in digital version and from this Wednesday on newsstands. Don't forget that our 2019 WRC Guide is also still available in digital version and on newsstands.