What’s the news?
Hyundai Motorsport has recently returned from a fortnight of intense testing with its 2014 WRC entrant, the i20. During this 15-day period the team tested the i20 WRC on both gravel and tarmac surfaces, racking up more than 1,000 kilometres in total. “This month was exceptionally busy for us,” comments Michael Nandan, Hyundai Motorsport Team Principal.
“We were out testing the i20 WRC on both surfaces for more than half of the month, with our three test drivers swapping the seat on more than four separate test sessions.” These sessions kicked off with a four-day stint on gravel in the south of Spain; replicating the kind of stages the team will face in the Portugal and Sardinia legs of the competition.
The location also gave them the opportunity to see how the i20 performed in a warmer climate. The gravel testing then continued as the team moved up to Catalonia for a further five days. The start of the tarmac sessions began in Baumholder, Germany – a venue the team will encounter on the 2014 WRC season.
Once testing in Germany had finished, it was then back to Catalonia for some final adjustments while sending the car down the tarmac stages of Rally de Espana. “After concentrating on loose surfaces, we took the i20 WRC for a test on the same conditions of Rallye Deutschland,” continued Nandan. “We had some new suspension parts to try; and testing on the same roads as the rally allows us to have some references on the stages we will tackle next year.” “Overall, it was a positive month as we managed to test new parts, try different set-up solutions and cover some good mileage with the car.”
Anything else?
In addition to the vast testing strategy for Hyundai Motorsport in October, the team was also faced with the task of preparing the dossier for the homologation of the i20 WRC for the FIA.