November 20, 2014 – For the Hyundai Shell World Rally Team, the 2014 FIA World Rally Championship has been full ofhighlights, memories and firsts. The team has made a positive impact in its maiden season, bravely carrying out a comprehensive year of development with the Hyundai i20 WRC in the very public and extremely competitive WRC environment.
Team Principal Michel Nandan commented: “We have been very pleased with the outcome of our debut season in the extremely competitive World Rally Championship. We were under no illusions how tough this season would be but we have learned a lot from this testing year – and accumulated some very good results along the way. From a blank sheet of paper, we have built a team of 120 dedicated professionals, developed a competitive Hyundai i20 WRC car and achieved a number of important milestones. We have taken our first stage wins, our maiden podium and a memorable 1-2 in Germany – a day I am sure none of us in the team will ever forget. To all of our supporters, partners and fans, thank you for joining us on this fantastic ride. I’d also like to thank each and every one of our team for their individual contributions to this season. The statistics and numbers tell a fantastic story, but it is the tireless work behind the scenes at Hyundai Motorsport which has made it all possible.”
The Road to Monte Carlo
- The Hyundai Shell World Rally Team began its debut season in the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) in January 2014 with the shortest preparation time for any new manufacturer ever. There were just 394 days between the formation of Hyundai Motorsport GmbH on 19 December 2012 and the opening competitive day of Rallye Monte-Carlo on 16 January 2014.
- 12 people have buckled into the cockpit of the Hyundai i20 WRC in rallies this season: Thierry Neuville/Nicolas Gilsoul, Juho Hänninen/Tomi Tuominen, Dani Sordo/Marc Martí, Hayden Paddon/John Kennard, Bryan Bouffier/Xavier Panseri and Chris Atkinson/Stéphane Prévot.
- The important role that ONE bottle of Corona would have in helping Thierry Neuville secure the team’s first podium in Mexico!
- The efforts of the 10 WRC drivers who joined Hyundai Shell World Rally Team to celebrate Hyundai’s sponsorship of the FIFA World Cup during Rally Poland – an unforgettable penalty shoot-out that underlined why drivers should stick to driving!
