New rules and rivals for 280kW i20 WRC

The Hyundai i20 WRC car was revealed earlier this month at Italy’s Monza racing circuit, ahead of its entry into the 2017 World Rally Championship.

With current champions Volkswagen leaving the sport at the end of 2016, the car is expected to be a front-running contender in next year’s season. It replaces the now-retired i20 WRC.

Hyundai i20 WRC will face new Toyota rivals in 2017

The new three-door Hyundai i20 WRC uses the same basic structure as the 2016 five- door but takes advantage of the WRC’s less restrictive engine and aerodynamic regulations going into 2017.

The rear wing is a good example, being much larger on the new model and together with large swooping winglets on the front bumper the aerodynamics are improved significantly. The car’s 1.6-litre engine produces 280kW, significantly more than the 2016 car’s 246kW, due in part to the increase in the restrictor from 33mm to 36mm.

Whilst it remains a four wheel drive with a six- speed paddle shift, an innovative new active central differential enables the driver to adjust the percentage of torque sent to front and rear wheels.

Both drivers and team leaders commented at the car’s launch that the new drivetrain will improve straight line speed although it may not be that noticeable to spectators.

All did agree though that the new car’s bigger aerodynamic package will make a significant  difference to speed, allowing the 2017 i20 WRC to cut its stage times by around 1sec per kilometre.

Hyundai Motorsport team principal Michel Nandan said: “[This new era] is a great new technical challenge and one that we have tackled with enthusiasm. It’s an opportunity to put into practice everything we have learned and experienced in the past three seasons. All teams are starting from scratch so we are on equal footing.”

Hyundai Motorsport president Gyoo-Heon Choi added: “We aim to be champions. We are taking this very seriously and want to be at the top. Hyundai Motorsport is investing heavily into making this work, and after three years we feel very strong.”

The Hyundai motorsport team is based in Germany and its 2017 challenger has already completed over 4000 kilometres of testing. Its WRC debut will be at the opening round of 2017 events at the Monte Carlo rally in January.

For this event Hyundai Motorsport will field three i20 Coupe WRCs, driven by the same drivers as last year: Thierry Neuville, Hayden Paddon and Dani Sordo, with Nicolas Gilsoul, John Kennard and Marc Martí as their co-drivers.

With 2016 title winner Volkswagen having quit the WRC, Hyundai’s biggest rivals for the 2017 championship will be Ford, Citroën and Toyota; Toyota being back in WRC for the first time in 17 years.

Sébastien Ogier 2016’s driver’s champion and ex-VW driver has moved to M-Sport, where he’ll drive a new Fiesta WRC.

Hyundai Motorsport team principal Nandan said: “It’s a pity to not be able to compete against the 2016 champions. You always want to beat the previous winners, but the 2017 championship will be very competitive and I expect things to be very close from the start. I think Citroën will be very fast.”

Belgian driver Neuville said: “Citroën will be the benchmark, but I think we can fight them. “I think having the same driver line-up as last year can give us an advantage compared to the other teams.