Hyundai Motorsport heads to Rally Estonia 11.07.2022: WRC RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP RALLY ESTONIA July 14-17th, 2022 • Following a challenging Safari Rally Kenya, Hyundai Motorsport is looking to bounce back at Rally Estonia, the seventh round of the 2022 FIA World Rally

WRC RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP
RALLY ESTONIA
July 14-17th, 2022




•    Following a challenging Safari Rally Kenya, Hyundai Motorsport is looking to bounce back at Rally Estonia, the seventh round of the 2022 FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) season


•    The team claimed victory at the event’s debut appearance on the WRC calendar in 2020 and will be aiming for success on the gravel again this year


•    Three crews will take on the rally’s high-speed roads in the Hyundai i20 N Rally1: Thierry Neuville/Martijn Wydaeghe, Ott Tänak/Martin Järveoja and Oliver Solberg/Elliott Edmondson.
 



 

Hyundai Motorsport heads to Rally Estonia, round seven of the 2022 FIA World Rally Championship (WRC), determined to put the disappointment of Safari Rally Kenya in the rear-view mirror and produce a strong performance.
 


Despite feeling the effects of the gruelling and unforgiving African rally, the Alzenau-based team remains confident in its ability to compete for the top step in Estonia having taken victory on the gravel at Rally Italia Sardegna.
 


A favourite of works teams, Rally Estonia made its highly anticipated WRC debut during the pandemic-disrupted 2020 season. Home heroes Ott Tänak and Martin Järveoja led an emphatic 1-2 finish for Hyundai Motorsport on that occasion, the pair’s first win for the team. Another double podium in 2021 continued the team’s impressive form at the Baltic event.
 


The 2022 edition of Rally Estonia will be demanding as ever, boasting high-speed gravel roads and a variety of difficult jumps to negotiate. The surface is also known to become rutted, particularly on the second pass, providing an additional challenge for the competitors to contend with.


However, all three crews behind the wheel of the hybrid-powered Hyundai i20 N Rally1 are familiar with the conditions that await them in Estonia, and will therefore be hoping to use this previous knowledge to their advantage.
 


The Hyundai Motorsport line-up consists of local favourites and 2020 Rally Estonia winners Ott Tänak/Martin Järveoja, Thierry Neuville/Martijn Wydaeghe, who finished on the podium at the event in 2021, and Oliver Solberg/Elliott Edmondson. While it will be the young duo’s first time competing at Rally Estonia in WRC, Solberg has won twice at the event in other categories.
 


The event itinerary at Rally Estonia is split across four days, containing 24 stages that total a distance of 313.84km.
 


Deputy Team Director Julien Moncet said: “Although we have only competed there twice, Rally Estonia is an event at which we have very good memories. In particular it was the site of Ott and Martijn’s first victory for Hyundai Motorsport, one of four podium finishes we have achieved in Estonia since 2020.


Our hope is that we can continue this form this year and bounce back from the tough weekend we experienced in Kenya. All season long the Hyundai i20 N Rally1 has shown lots of speed on the gravel, and we expect next weekend to be no different.



The goal as always is to battle for victory and score as many points for the championship as possible. Even though the gap to the top of the standings is quite large, we will never give up.”
 



Thomas Villette, Nicoletta Russo - photo Hyundai