Technical tarmac stages host week of development running

Hyundai Motorsport Customer Racing has completed a successful test with the i20 N Rally2 in Italy. Andreas Mikkelsen joined Eric Camilli for a week’s worth of testing before competing in Rally Valli della Carnia.

Our development team carefully selected the testing location to replicate the characteristics of European tarmac rallies, including narrow roads with varying grip levels in the damp conditions of the event. Other test stages will be used in upcoming development sessions which will see the i20 N Rally2 tackle higher-speed scenarios.

Heading into the test, Camilli and Mikkelsen were aware of five key development areas, including differential ramps, a short ratio gearbox, kinematic and suspension, an electronic wastegate and updated engine software.

Mikkelsen entered Rally Valli della Carnia, without the latest developments on his car, to compare his pace against Italian tarmac specialists, while gaining crucial kilometres before his upcoming starts with the Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid. “The initial feeling is really nice,” said Mikkelsen after the rally, “The car is really precise and immediately felt very comfortable. We were fighting at the front all the time and finished only five seconds off the win. Maybe without the puncture, more would have been possible.”

Camilli and Mikkelsen were immediately happy with the base setup of the car and the tests will benefit future tarmac stages for the team. The next steps are to extract the full potential for consistent performances across each weekend.

When asked about the strides taken in the recent test, Mikkelsen said: “It’s a long time since I enjoyed driving on tarmac, but this weekend in this car was good fun. It turns well, especially on these technical Italian stages which gave me plenty of confidence and a nice feeling.”

Mikkelsen and Camilli praised the developmental steps in kinematics improvements, celebrating the car’s immediate adoption of precise handling paired with consistent speed. The testing in Italy was a great benchmark that future tests can build on to get the full potential out of the car.

Andreas Mikkelsen will be joined by his co-driver Torstein Eriksen for the final two rounds of the FIA World Rally Championship, where he’ll take to the wheel of the Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid.

Eric Camilli is set to complete the final two rounds in the French Tarmac Rally Championship, fresh from a podium at Rallye Coeur de France last weekend.

Future i20 N Rally2 testing will take place in France in the coming weeks.

Check out all of the best action from Rally Valli della Carnia