Rally Australia – Day Three Report

• Hyundai Motorsport has completed the 2018 FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) with its 11^th podium result of the season after Hayden Paddon finished second in Rally Australia
• A retirement for Thierry Neuville at the start of Sunday's second loop ended any remote chances of a maiden WRC title
• Having taken three victories, 11 podiums and 68 stage wins in 2018, Hyundai Motorsport will now regroup and prepare to fight back when the 2019 season gets underway in January.

November 19, 2018 – Hyundai Motorsport has brought the 2018 FIA World Rally Championship to a conclusion with a podium finish on a dramatic final day of the season at Rally Australia.

Hayden Paddon secured second place to take his best result of the season, improving on third place at Rally Turkey back in September. Andreas Mikkelsen brought his Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC home in 11^th overall, having mounted a solid comeback following his Friday retirement.

For championship contender Thierry Neuville, it was a heartbreaking final morning as he retired at the start of Sunday's second loop. Neuville had started the day with a slim chance of claiming of the drivers' title. Unfortunately, having closed the gap on the opening loop, his hopes ended when he clipped a tree in SS22 (Coramba II), causing terminal damage to his Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC.

Sunday's Rally Australia itinerary included six stages over a total distance of 84km. A repeat loop of the 15.55km Coramba, 19.27km Sapphire and 7.16km Wedding Bells stages completed an impressively competitive and unpredictable 2018 season.

Everyone in the team extends its congratulations to Sébastien Ogier on securing the drivers' championship and to Toyota Gazoo Racing on winning the manufacturers' title. There is just two months to regroup and mount a new challenge for when the 2019 FIA World Rally Championship gets underway at Rallye Monte-Carlo.

Crew Notes: Paddon / Marshall (#6 Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC)

• Second place represents crew's best result since Rally Poland 2017
• Second podium of the season and highest placed WRC finish in Rally Australia

Paddon said: 'A great weekend for us! I'm really pleased to be back on the podium and to take our best result of the season. This feels like a proper podium. I felt the last few we've benefitted from others' misfortune but we've definitely earned this one. Each year we've been getting one place better in Australia, so I must be on to win it next year! We've made good strategy calls all weekend and I've felt comfortable in the car. Thanks to the team and to the travelling Kiwi fans who have come out in their droves to support us. It makes all the difference. We have to see what happens next season but I hope this result helps our cause.'

Crew Notes: Mikkelsen/Jæger (#4 Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC)

• Completed first full season as Hyundai Motorsport crew with strong comeback
• Podium finish in Rally Sweden remains highlight of frustrating year for Norwegians

Mikkelsen said: 'In many ways I am pleased that the 2018 season has come to a close. It has been a troublesome year for me. This weekend is a perfect example; we've been quick and competitive at times but our event has been overshadowed by pure bad luck. Throughout the year we have made improvements and felt increasingly comfortable with the car, we just haven't been able to translate that into results. Still, it has been a great season for the fans and it has been a pleasure to be part of it. We have had great support from the team and we're all pushing in the right direction. We now look forward to a bit of time off, and then some proper testing ahead of Monte when we'll go again in good spirits.'

Crew Notes: Neuville/Gilsoul (#5 Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC)

• Finished second in the 2018 WRC drivers' standings following heroic effort
• Belgian crew amassed three victories and six podiums in total in 2018

Neuville said: 'We gave it everything and had to take some risks today to try and capture the title. Even it was only a small chance, we had nothing to lose. In SS22, the conditions were really bad, and we simply went wide and clipped a tree. That was it, championship over. It has been a difficult and tricky weekend, and not the way we wanted the season to end but it's part of the game. I would like to say thanks to the team and everyone at Hyundai Motorsport in Alzenau for giving us the car to fight for the title this year. Congratulations to Sébastien and Julien; it has been great to fight with them this year. We knew there would be one winning crew and that two would go home empty handed. It's unfortunate we are the unlucky ones on this occasion. It's been a great season for WRC and we've attracted some new fans, so now we have a short break and we can look ahead to another season.'

Fight to the finish 

Team Principal Michel Nandan commented: 'First of all, well done to Hayden and Seb for a great podium result and for demonstrating such competitive pace all weekend. They have hardly put a foot wrong all weekend and this result is thoroughly deserved. In terms of the championship, of course we are disappointed but we gave it everything we had. It was always going to be tough for Thierry to capture the title today; he had no other option than to push. That's rallying and we accept all the emotions that come with it. This has been one of the most closely fought championships for years. The fact it went right down to the final morning shows just how competitive this season has been. We have utmost respect for our rivals and our congratulations go to Sébastien for the drivers' title and to Toyota for the manufacturers'. We will now look back on the highs and lows of our season as we prepare to come back fighting in 2019. On a final note, I would like to congratulate Gabriele Tarquini on securing the FIA World Touring Car Cup drivers' title in an i30 N TCR.'

Final Overall Classification – Rally Australia

1	J.M Latvala	M. Anttila	Toyota Yaris WRC	2:59:52.0
2	H. Paddon	S. Marshall	Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC	+32.5
3	M. Østberg	T. Eriksen	Citroën C3 R5	+52.2
4	E. Lappi	J. Ferm	Toyota Yaris WRC	+1:02.3
5	S. Ogier	J. Ingrassia	Ford Fiesta WRC	+2:30.8
6	E. Evans	D. Barritt	Ford Fiesta WRC	+3:05.1
8	C. Breen	S. Martin	Citroën C3 R5	+8:59.0

2018 FIA World Rally Championship for Drivers' Standings

After round 13

1	S. Ogier	219
2	T. Neuville	201
3	O. Tanak	181
4	J.M Latvala	128
5	E. Lappi	126
6	A. Mikkelsen	84
7	E. Evans	80
8	H. Paddon	73
9	D. Sordo	71
10	M. Østberg	70

2018 FIA World Rally Championship for Manufacturers' Standings

After round 13

1	Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Team	368
2	Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team	341
3	M-Sport Ford World Rally Team	324
4	Citroën Total Abu Dhabi World Rally Team	237

All results remain subject to official FIA confirmation. 

About Hyundai Motorsport GmbH

Established 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 year in WRC, Hyundai Motorsport developed a brand new car, the New Generation i20 WRC. The team enjoyed its most successful season to date in 2016 with two victories (Argentina and Sardinia) and a total of 12 individual podium results, finishing second in the Manufacturers' Championship. With a number of key technical regulation changes introduced for the 2017 season, Hyundai Motorsport developed a brand new car, the Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC, with which it has contested its fourth season. The team registered its first win of 2017 at Tour de Corse before following that up with victories in Argentina, Poland and the season finale in Australia. 2018 represents Hyundai Motorsport's fifth season in the WRC.

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

About Hyundai Motor

Established in 1967, Hyundai Motor Company is committed to becoming a lifetime partner in automobiles and beyond. The company leads the Hyundai Motor Group, an innovative business structure capable of circulating resources from molten iron to finished cars. Hyundai Motor has eight manufacturing bases and seven design and technical centers worldwide and in 2017 sold about 4.5 million vehicles globally. With more than 110,000 employees worldwide, Hyundai Motor continues to enhance its product lineup with localized models and strives to strengthen its leadership in clean technology, starting with the world's first mass-produced fuel cell electric vehicle ix35 Fuel cell and IONIQ, the world's first model with three electrified powertrains in a single body type.

Photo credit: Hyundai
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