The Hyundai i20 WRC car has made its test debut, completing its first comprehensive testing session in Europe.
Set to re-enter the World Rally Championship in 2014, the Hyundai i20 WRC was let out of Hyundai Motorsport’s Alzenau headquarters in Germany to complete the three-day 550km test where vehicle performance data was gathered along with information on set-ups and its turbocharged 1.6-litre engine.
The testing program is planned to continue at a rapid rate, as Hyundai Motorsport works to ensure the i20 WRC car is ready to compete at the Rallye Monte Carlo in January.
Hyundai Motorsport team principal Michel Nandan said the intensive 2013 testing schedule will include sessions at different venues across Europe, as the team evaluates the i20 WRC in various conditions and terrains reflective of competing in the World Rally Championship.
“After starting our operations from scratch at the Alzenau factory in early January, we have been developing the car and now we can put the theory into practice,” Nandan said.
First seen at the 2012 Paris motor show, and again in revised form at the 2013 Geneva motor show in March, the Hyundai i20 WRC is expected to follow current WRC cars in being four-wheel drive and using a sequential transmission.
Hyundai withdrew from the rally series in 2003, after a three-year stint in the premier class with a Hyundai Accent-based entry.
