2017 Hyundai i20 WRC

HYUNDAI MOTORSPORT PREVIEWS 2017 WRC CHALLENGER AT PARIS MOTOR SHOW

◾Hyundai Motorsport's 2017 FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) challenger is being previewed at the Paris Motor Show in France
◾The new car is based on a three-door Hyundai i20 WRC and has been developed in line with new WRC regulations
◾Hyundai Motorsport is aiming for the podium in this weekend's Tour de Corse-Rallye de France where it aims to consolidate second in the manufacturers' standings.

Paris, France, September 29, 2016 Hyundai Motorsport has used the occasion of the Paris Motor Show to present a preview of its 2017 WRC challenger, which will make its competitive debut in next season's FIA World Rally Championship.

The team, which is currently second in the WRC manufacturers' classification on 201 points, has been testing its brand new 2017 prototype since April across numerous locations in Europe and in a variety of different conditions.

The car, based on a three-door Hyundai i20, has been developed to meet WRC's 2017 technical regulations, which have given greater aerodynamic freedom to designers. Hyundai Motorsport has an extensive testing programme lined up in the final part of 2016 in order to further evolve the car ahead of its debut at Rallye Monte-Carlo in January.

WRC regulations for the 2017 season also offer teams more power, an increase to 380HP, more downforce, Electronic Active central differential and the ability to compete with longer and wider vehicles. The combined objective of these new technical rules is to create an even more dynamic and spectacular show in the popular WRC.

The livery on show in Paris is an interim version, with the final specification and look of the car only to be revealed in December.

Team Principal Michel Nandan said: 'The 2017 WRC regulations have allowed all teams to start from a blank page, which has offered us an exciting engineering challenge. The changes will raise the level of entertainment in WRC on stages around the world with wider and more powerful cars. We have been putting our experience from two full seasons of WRC into practice, as we aim to build on our successful 2016 campaign. The 2017 car started testing in April with initial work centred on engine and powertrain testing. More recently, we have looked at suspension, differential and aero. There will be some small evolutions on both chassis and engine later this year. We look forward to revealing the final version of our 2017 car later this year.'

Hyundai Motorsport is in action this weekend at the tenth round of the 2016 Championship, Tour de Corse - Rallye de France, where it is fielding three New Generation i20 WRC cars. The team has enjoyed its most competitive WRC season to date with victories in Argentina and Sardinia and an additional four podiums in Monte-Carlo, Sweden, Poland and, most recently, in Germany.

About Hyundai Motorsport GmbHEstablished on 19 December 2012, Hyundai Motorsport GmbH is responsible for Hyundai's global motorsport activities and primarily for its World Rally Championship programme. Based in Alzenau on the outskirts of Frankfurt in Germany, the company embarked on its debut season in the FIA World Rally Championship in 2014 with a bespoke team of skilled staff and a brand new car, the Hyundai i20 WRC. The team made a strong impression in its first year claiming podium results in Mexico and Poland, as well as a memorable 1-2 in Germany. In its second season, the team was involved in a closely fought battle for second place in the Manufacturers' Championship, adding more podiums and stage wins to its tally. For its third season in WRC, Hyundai Motorsport has developed a brand new car, the New Generation i20 WRC, which made its rally debut with a podium finish in Rallye Monte-Carlo in January 2016. The team registered its first win with the new car in Rally Argentina, the fourth round of the season.

Further information about Hyundai Motorsport is available at: http://motorsport.hyundai.com

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Source - Hyundai