Hyundai Motorsport, the future is already here. This morning the Alzenau-based team officially presented its new weapon, the i20 N Rally1 hybrid, with which it will try to take home the Constructors’ World Championship and the one dedicated to WRC drivers.
No beating around the bush, no “ifs” or “buts”. Hyundai Motorsport opens its new sporting parenthesis, without a fixed point, a beacon of the caliber of Andrea Adamo after the Piedmontese manager’s exit which took place suddenly last December, to take a step into a new era, the hybrid one of the WRC.
It does so with a driver line up that features only one big news: Oliver Solberg, who has taken over from Craig Breen, who has moved to M-Sport Ford to take on the role of the spearhead of the British team’s new project, also in World Rally.
The confirmations are there and they are important: Thierry Neuville and Ott Tanak, backed by multi-year contracts with Hyundai, will still be the ones in charge of chasing the Drivers’ title. Dani Sordo, confirmed once again after a good 2021 season finale, will cover the role of third / fourth driver and hen of Oliver Solberg, a talented but still raw driver, with very promising flashes and understandable smudges.
But the real news, as mentioned, is the Hyundai i20 N Rally1. The new car was born on the basis of the road i20 N, a car born for everyday life, but designed precisely from Hyundai’s experience in World Rally.
Hyundai i20 N Rally1 2022 edition
Photo by: Hyundai Motorsport
Less aerodynamics, less refined mechanics (5-speed gearbox with lever, no more paddles on the steering wheel; liquid cooling of the braking system prohibited), a heavier car also due to the electrical package placed on the rear axle (electric motor from 100 kW, about 134 horsepower; inverter and battery pack supplied by Compact Dynamics), a new crew protection cell made safer, not to mention the new Pirelli tires, created precisely to enhance the characteristics of the new WRC queens. This is the i20 N Rally1.
Lots of news, in short, but always in the tradition of the Korean company. The livery of the three i20 N Rally1s that will be fielded this season clearly resembles a mix of the different liveries worn by the various versions of the i20 from 2016 to today. The pastel blue remains as a base, but then there is a lot of blue space, the red-orange and some small innovations such as the drawings of stylized electrical circuits on the wheel arches and on the sides of the hybrid car.
The great revolution of the category, however, remains the introduction of hybrid propulsion, or the 100 kW electric motor that will flank the 380 horsepower 1.6 turbo that derives directly from the generation of engines that drove the WRC Plus from 2017 to 2021.
Hyundai i20 N Rally1 2022 edition
Photo by: Hyundai Motorsport
This will not only make the cars faster for a few seconds, taking advantage of the almost 500 horsepower overall in some sections of the special stages, but will force the drivers to change their driving style, braking in a different way, having to think of a tactic to recharge the batteries and have the additional energy guaranteed by the electric motor at the right time, but also which of the three hybrid maps available to choose for testing.
Each driver will be able to use only one map, so the teams must be good at understanding the nature of the tests and then choose the suitable one and thus favor the work of the drivers during the timed sections of the daily course. They will have to be careful where to use the EV (Electric Vehicle) mode in the predetermined transfer areas, but also at the Service Park.
“We are very happy to be part of the new era of WRC and to show how involved Hyundai is in international motorsport,” said Scott Noh, president of Hyundai Motorsport. “The WRC is about to introduce the most technically advanced cars driven by the best crews, tackling the toughest stages in the world. The 2022 season will take WRC to another level.”
Hyundai i20 N Rally1 2022 edition
Photo by: Hyundai Motorsport
“Furthermore, from the point of view of Hyundai as a manufacturer, it is important to be associated with the most relevant technology, it is important that the WRC has embraced hybrid propulsion, bringing motorsport closer to automotive activities. We believe we have a package that can fight. to be able to conquer the third Constructors’ World Championship in our history and we believe we can support our crews in trying to help them win the Drivers and Navigators title “.
“We are very fortunate to have one of the most versatile driver line-ups in the WRC to be able to face one of the most eclectic seasons ever in the WRC. We hope that the combination of Thierry, Ott, Oliver and Dani can be the right mix of experience, youth and passion for achieving the results we have worked so hard for, “said Pablo Marcos, Hyundai Motorsport team manager.
“This year we should be able to race in New Zealand and Japan, races that have been on the calendar for a long time but we have never been able to do recently. We can’t wait to race in those places. There are so many unknown things in this WRC 2022 “.
Hyundai i20 N Rally1 2022 edition
Photo by: Hyundai Motorsport
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