Crews seeking comeback after challenging Rally Chile
Hyundai Motorsport enters Round 12 of the 2024 FIA World Rally Championship for the Central European Rally. Straddling the Austrian, German and Czechian borders, the penultimate event of the season will see the crews of Thierry Neuville/Martijn Wydaeghe, Ott Tänak/Martin Järveoja joined by the Norwegian duo of Andreas Mikkelsen/Torstein Eriksen for their first entry since Rally Poland.
All three championships are in close contention. Neuville and Tänak sit first and second in the drivers’ standings, with the Belgian holding a 29-point advantage over the Estonian. The Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team enter Central Europe with a 17-point lead in the manufacturers’ championship.
“The manufacturers’ championship is in an interesting place, and we are going there with the target of scoring maximum points and putting pressure on our competitors,,” said Tänak ahead of the event, “I personally enjoy the roads at Central European Rally more than all other tarmac rallies.”
2023 was the first-ever Central European Rally, and Neuville/Wydaeghe took a commanding victory, with Tänak/Jarveoja taking home bronze. This year, our full-time crews are joined by Andreas Mikkelsen and Torstein Eriksen, the Norwegian pair entering their fourth rally of 2024.
“I remember this rally well,” Mikkelsen said, “it’s where we clinched the WRC2 title in 2023. The conditions are demanding, but I’ll go there to help the team maintain its lead in the championships.”
This rally’s border-crossing characteristics are one of a kind, with our crews facing 302.51km across 18 stages in Germany, Austria and Czechia. Throw in the unpredictable autumnal weather, variable tarmac conditions and three brand-new stages and pace notes will be more critical than ever.
Championship leaders Neuville/Wydaeghe will be in Austria before the event, taking part in the Herbst Rally to develop a strong base setup for the car. This is especially important, with this event being the first tarmac rally after seven consecutive gravel events. Tänak and Mikkelsen have just wrapped up a pre-event Czechia test to further aid the championship charge.
“We know we usually perform well on tarmac,” said last year’s winner Thierry Neuville, “We’ve done some important video work to get a good feel of the new stages. The test in Austria will allow us to get back into a rhythm and build a car setup for the tarmac rally.”
Hyundai Motorsport President and Team Principal Cyril Abiteboul is excited to return to tarmac:
“We’re at the crucial point of the season. We need to maintain our lead in all three championships, so a clean performance is essential. Thierry is a winner here, Ott finished on the podium and it’s where Andreas took his WRC2 title. We want to make the most of the weekend – something we couldn’t do in Chile.”
Central European Rally begins on Thursday in Czechia’s capital before wrapping up with the Wolf Power Stage on the German border.
