Customer racing bulletin Rally2
French Tarmac Rally Championship
i20 N Rally2 crew Eric Camilli and Thibault de la Haye scored their third win in the last four rounds of the French Tarmac Rally Championship at the Critérium des Cévennes (October 24-26). The pair, sharing a car prepared by 2C Competition, were fastest on the opening stage but ran second overall for much of the opening day before retaking the lead on the final stage before the return to Parc Fermé. They extended their advantage by winning two of the three stages run on Saturday, including the 45.8km SS10 – the longest stage of the event – before securing the victory on Sunday. They stood on the podium with CHL Sport Auto i20 N Rally2 crew Hugo Margaillan and Mathieu Coppa, who finished third with a stage win on the final day to their name to secure the Michelin Trophy for amateur crews in the national championship.
Portuguese Rally Championship
The Portuguese Rally Championship came to a dramatic finish when victory at Rallye Vidreiro (October 17-18) – and the championship title – were decided by just 0.8 seconds. Hyundai Team Portugal driver Dani Sordo won the Power Stage by only 0.2 seconds, securing the title in his first year in the series with the Hyundai Portugal-backed team ahead of the defending champion, Kris Meeke. The Spanish driver and compatriot Cándido Carrera led for the whole event, but their lead was never more than 3.7 seconds as they scored their third victory of the season. Gonçalo Henriques and Inês Veiga completed a strong weekend for the team, taking their second podium finish of the year in third.
Slovakian Rally Championship
Martin Koči and Robert Kolčák made up a 1–2 finish at Rallye Liptov (October 24-25) in the Slovakian Rally Championship. The two drivers combined to win all seven stages of the tarmac event. Koči and co-driver Petr Těšínský were fastest on four occasions and emerged as overall victors by over a minute ahead of Kolčák and Petr Černohorský Jr., who were, in turn, more than 20 seconds clear of their nearest competitor.
Slovenian Rally Championship
Hyundai Slovenia-supported i20 N Rally2 driver Rok Turk clinched the Slovenian Rally Championship title with a round to spare at Rally Soča Valley (October 17-18). Turk and co-driver Blanka Kacin lost time to a puncture early in the rally, but responded with the fastest times on the final three stages of the event to finish fourth overall. A further stage win for fellow i20 N Rally2 crew Jan Medved and Izador Šavelj meant Hyundai Motorsport customers won half of the rally’s stages. Medved and Šavelj finished second overall, having held a podium place throughout the rally.
Australian Rally Championship
Hayden Paddon and John Kennard won both heats of the Adelaide Hills Rally (October 4-5). The pair were only headed for one stage during the event, which counted as two separate rounds in the Australian Rally Championship, and won a total of nine stages. The first heat was the closer contest: the only point where Paddon and Kennard dropped from the lead came after SS2, but they quickly regained it on the following stage. Their route to victory in Heat 2 was smoother, aided by the fastest time on the first four stages of the day.
Paraguayan Rally Championship
The pairing of Fabrizio Zaldivar and Marcelo Der Ohannesian dominated most of the Transchaco Rally (October 19-26), only for late problems to drop them to finish second. The i20 N Rally2 crew won the opening stage and spent most of the event – the biggest event of the Paraguayan Rally Championship season – building their lead. However, the duo suffered two punctures on the penultimate stage which dramatically cut their advantage. The time loss left them vulnerable during the last stage and the time lost of to a minor technical issue was enough for them to drop from the lead.
Tour European Rally Series
Kiwi pairing Hayden Paddon and Jared Hudson won the Tour European Rally Series event at Rally Terra Sarda (October 18-19). The i20 N Rally2 crew were consistent throughout the Sardinian tarmac event, taking a pair of stage wins and holding a podium position. However, it was not until their rival made a mistake on the final stage that Paddon and Hudson were able to take the lead. The overall victory was a fine reward for the pair’s efforts, having combated a technical issue for much of the rally which limited their pace.
