WRC 2027: Hyundai Motorsport in "customer competition" mode with an evolved i20N Rally2?

Six months before the end of the 2026 season WRC, and therefore from the Rally1 era, we can't really say that the future of rally From an international perspective, purely from a sporting point of view, things are currently crystal clear. If Toyota has been running a prototype for several weeks now, which itself has been the subject of various speculations, as we recently explained; no official information has yet been released regarding the plans for Hyundai, the other major car manufacturer currently competing in the top category.

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Thus, since the upcoming regulatory era will allow Rally2 cars and the new 2027 WRC cars to compete together at the top of the World Rally Championship hierarchy, with theoretically equivalent performance, it seems clear that the future of the Koreans' presence in rallying lies with their Hyundai i20N Rally2, currently known as Step 2. In Japan, we asked Andrew Wheatley, the team's sporting director, to tell us more about his team's plans for next season. While he didn't confirm anything concrete, the manager did extensively discuss this possibility, citing the manufacturer's desire to continue developing this car for its customers, in close collaboration with the relevant department.

 

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Of course, his comments are open to various interpretations. Nevertheless, everything now suggests that Hyundai, like Škoda or Lancia in WRC2, might simply focus on its "customer racing" activities for the start of this new regulatory era next season by selling cars to private teams, providing technical support, but without being officially entered as a manufacturer. In recent months, Hyundai's WRC drivers have racked up the miles in the Hyundai i20N Rally2 Step 2… or even Step 2,5, as Andrew Wheatley also suggested to us at Toyota. The initial objective of these runs is primarily to gather as much information as possible about the Hankook tires, as testing on Rally1 cars is just as limited as testing on these cars. But it would seem quite logical that these sessions also aim to prepare for 2027 by making the most of this car, which until now has been reserved for WRC2.ERC or even at the national championships. Given that the deadline for implementing these new regulations is approaching, official information may be arriving soon…