Final round victory completes dominant title-winning Austrian season for i20 N Rally2 crew

Victory on the Land der 1000 Hügel Rallye completed a superb title-winning season in the Austrian Rally Championship for Simon Wagner and Hanna Ostlender in their first season as Hyundai Motorsport customers.

The pair had clinched the national title, a first for customers with the i20 N Rally2 Step2, at the penultimate round in July, so their victory on the final event of the year was an exclamation point on the year. As has been the pattern in the championship this season, Wagner and Ostlender were dominant throughout. They won nine of the 12 stages and led from start to finish, winning by nearly 30 seconds.

All of their five wins this season have been similarly dominant, leading each one for the entire distance of the rally. In total the Hyundai Motorsport customer pair have won 52 of the 82 competitive stages completed during the year.

Wagner and Ostlender made their i20 N Rally2 debut at the season-opening Jännerrallye, finishing second in the difficult snow and ice conditions of the event. When the series reconvened in March for the first true tarmac event of the season at the Rebenland Rallye, the performance of the crew, and the i20 N Rally2 Step2 package of upgrades was clear to see, resulting in victory by a margin approaching two minutes after 16 stages. Over the remaining rallies the excellent performance remained unchanged – best exemplified at Rallye Weiz where Wagner and Ostlender won all nine stages.

Coincidentally, the result also confirmed them as national champions – Wagner’s fifth title in his home country, but German Ostlender’s first top-class title in national competition.

While the weekend brought the Austrian championship to an end, the pair will be back in action in the final round of the Czech Championship, where they are in contention for a second title, having taken two wins so far this season, including at Rally Bohemia.

Simon Wagner said:

“We won five of six events in Austria, so I don’t know if there are many more words needed. I’m very proud of our year in Austria and what we achieved in our first year with Hyundai Motorsport Customer Racing and the new team. From snow to dry tarmac, to very wet conditions and through gravel sections the i20 Rally2 Step2 was always very fast and a stage winner, but more importantly it was incredibly reliable. Thanks to Damian Davila, our engineer from Hyundai Motorsport Customer Racing and the entire SP Podlesnik team, our car didn’t have a single technical issue during the events. The same for me, getting through the stages without even putting a scratch on the car. Hanna Ostlender did an outstanding job all season long navigating to a first national championship and my fifth Austrian Rally Championship title. A big thanks to everyone involved for the great job and all the effort.”

Hyundai Motorsport Customer Racing Manager Benoit Nogier said:

“The performance of Simon Wagner and Hanna Ostlender all season has been a great advertisement for the performance of the i20 N Rally2 Step2. One of our aims with the upgrade package was to maximise the performance of the car on tarmac, and the crew’s dominance on the five tarmac events in Austria, as well as in the Czech championship, has shown the value of our work. They have been quick and consistent all season, and the car has been magnificently reliable – everything you need in rallying. Clinching the title with a round to spare showed their dominance and put the i20 N Rally2 Step2 past an important milestone with a first national title.”