Hyundai Motorsport is celebrating its first victory of the season after a gruelling three days at Rally Italia Sardegna, round six of the 2023 FIA World Rally Championship (WRC), with Thierry Neuville and Martijn Wydaeghe triumphing in their Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid.
With uncharacteristic rain last Friday and Saturday exacerbating the difficult conditions of the stages, causing issues for many competitors, the team was taking nothing for granted on the final day. Following the collective push on Saturday, which saw Neuville/Wydaeghe and Esapekka Lappi/Janne Ferm secure a provisional 1-2 result, it was a careful conclusion to the rally on Sunday to secure the team’s third double podium finish of the season.
It was a fantastic reward to the most demanding Rally Italia Sardegna in recent years, where the team was able to challenge at the top of the classification throughout the weekend. Lappi/Ferm were nip-and-tuck with Sébastien Ogier for much of the event, snatching the lead of the rally on four occasions on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
It was also on Saturday that Neuville/Wydaeghe came into their own, finding a steady rhythm that saw them claw back the gap to first place. When the deficit then doubled on Special Stage 10 (Erula-Tula 1), the Belgians responded; two stage wins and two second-fastest times reduced it to just over seven seconds, and a superb SS14 gave them a lead they would not surrender.
Sunday in Sardinia featured four stages: Arzachena-Braniatogghiu (SS16/18, 15.22km) and Sardegna (SS17/19, 7.79km). Unfortunately, Dani Sordo and Cándido Carrera’s torrid rally came to an early end after SS17 Sardegna 1 due to an exhaust failure on their car.
Neuville’s victory – his third on the island – has elevated him fifth to second place in the WRC drivers’ championship, 25 points behind the leader, Kalle Rovanperä. The Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team has also closed the gap in the manufacturers’ standings to 23 points.
