First kilometres complete for our latest rally car
Our brand-new rally car, the i20 N Rally2, has undertaken its first tests with three days of running in Italy following a shakedown near to our base in Alzenau, Germany.
The car, which is based on the new i20 N road-going model, completed more than 500km across the two tests. The sessions allowed our Customer Racing engineers to get an initial understanding of the performance of individual components ahead of an exhaustive test period. The car will be put through its paces on the full range of road surfaces encountered in national and international rally competitions.
“These days have concentrated on chassis and drivability,” said our Customer Racing Operations Leader Andrew Johns. “During the development phase we will run on all surfaces and expand our focus to make sure that every area of the chassis is optimised for different set-ups and driving styles.”
WRC 3 frontrunner Jari Huttunen undertook driving duties in Germany. He was joined by our WRC driver Ott for the Italian test. Feedback from both drivers will be used to begin to develop the i20 N Rally2, as our Customer Racing engineers start to learn about the balance and behaviour of the new chassis.
Work through the winter
“It is clear that the car has some nice characteristics, so there is a strong base to work from,” said Ott. “Performing the opening tests before the end of the year gives the team the chance to continue the work over the winter and into the New Year, when I look forward to rejoining them for more development days.”
Over the coming months, a number of drivers with WRC and R5 experience and expertise on different surfaces will join the development phase. Together they will ensure the final package delivered to customers is well-rounded, with excellent handling regardless of surface, or individual driving style.
“In Ott and Jari we had two very talented drivers on hand, and with their feedback – and that of the other drivers who will join the testing in the months to come – our engineers will be able to make sure the i20 N Rally2 is a strong all-round package,” added Andrew.
Order books for the i20 N Rally2 are now open, with our Customer Racing department welcoming enquiries from interested teams and drivers. The first cars are scheduled to be delivered to customers in 2021.
