Martijn Wydaeghe driving this weekend in Vence: "Great to be able to do this for fun"

After your first experience at Goodwood, you are now competing this weekend in Vence in the Hyundai How did this project come about?

At Goodwood, where I was driving the Hyundai i20N Rally1, everything went incredibly well, and the people who rode with me clearly felt the same way. So much so that once in Japan for the WRCFlorian told me about the Rally From the Vence region, it was an unmissable event for his group of friends! Then, he suggested I participate for fun. The people from the Hyundai Motorsport Marketing team were there, so we started talking about it. From that initial discussion, things took shape with the help of a partner who agreed to support the project, and it all came together quite quickly, in the end. I'm the first to be surprised!

You have virtually no rally driving experience. To do it with such a car is spectacular! Would you say you're a man of challenges?

It's a challenge, and I love challenges! I had the opportunity to drive the 2017 Hyundai "WRC Plus" at the RallyLegend in Italy in 2023, with Dani Sordo as my co-driver, and then again this summer at Goodwood. It wasn't easy driving such a car on the gravel section of the Goodwood rally stage, but it was a fantastic experience. Let's be clear, I have no plans to become a competitive driver: I'm certain I don't have the talent for it (laughs)! I love my job as a co-driver too much, but since I'm first and foremost a motorsport enthusiast, it's great to be able to do this for fun and in my free time. That's also why I accepted the offer.

Florian helped you a lot throughout the season; is doing this with him like a small reward for his work?

He does an exceptional job for both Thierry and me, to the point that it would be unthinkable to imagine doing things without him now. He takes a huge weight off our shoulders in so many ways, he corrects my notes perfectly… He lives his passion to the fullest, and it's going to be really great to do this rally with him. Especially after a complicated season like the one we've had, it's a fantastic way to end the year.

Specifically, have you set yourself any precise goals for this weekend? Is there already a follow-up or a driving project behind all this?

Having as much fun as possible and finishing this rally without any problems, that's the goal! Speed ​​won't be a priority, and I just hope to do the best I can; we'll see how things go. I'm going to focus on listening to everyone's opinions and applying the advice of the team, the engineers, Thierry, and of course Florian, and if I manage to complete this rally without any issues, I'll be very happy.
Have you asked a certain person for advice? Thierry Neuville before the rally?

Not yet, for the simple reason that we haven't had time to discuss it! We were still fully focused on our recent tests; we're barely finishing the 2025 season… Florian has mainly been handling the organization. Nevertheless, we're doing tests today, and Thierry will be there, as well as during the rally: during the tests, I'll certainly let him drive at least once, ride with him so he can "explain" things to me, and also validate the settings… As far as I'm concerned, as long as I have a safe, well-tuned car that's as easy to drive as possible, that will be the most important thing.

To talk briefly about the WRC, 2025 was not a year of rest: already ready to go back to war and why not reclaim your titles?

It wasn't our season. For several rallies now, we've been focused on 2026. It's not ideal in itself, because it meant we were no longer in contention for the title, but it was crucial for 2026. The victory in Saudi Arabia certainly feels good, we've already completed a day of testing for Monte Carlo, and more tests are scheduled. We hope for better luck next year, but I'm certain that with the hard work of the entire team and ourselves, we'll have everything we need to try and bring all three titles home. 2025 was a frustrating year because we weren't able to prove that the 2024 title was deserved: it's up to us to turn things around.

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