Hyundai officially unveiled its new FIA World Rally Championship contender
at the Paris Motor Show this morning. Based on the new i20 saloon, the debut of the new
car in next year’s WRC will mark 10 years since the company withdrew from motor
sport in 2003.
Mark Hall, Marketing Director at Hyundai Motor Europe, commented:
“The WRC also offers the most technologically-diverse challenge for an
automotive manufacturer. Our participation will demonstrate Hyundai’s
engineering excellence and durability, and will also help to enhance our
passenger vehicles in future.”
Hyundai last competed in the F2 class of the WRC in 1998 for two
seasons. In 1999, the team announced it would step up to the top class in 2000,
rallying a fully-developed WRC car based on the three-door Accent, which
competed until 2003, and they employed our very own Alister McRae at the time. The Rally Team will be based 'somewhere in the UK'.
So it’s really good to see them back and good for the WRC although
Ford has still not yet committed beyond 2013.
If the FIA can contain the costs of these 1.6 litre turbo cars
with sequential gearboxes and all wheel drive transmissions, then just maybe
the WRC can get back to the glory days.
Whatever, doesn’t the wee i20 look good.
No comments:
Post a Comment