Hyundai Motorsport has today announced Finnish driver Juho Hänninen as one of the team’s test drivers for 2013, ending weeks of speculation over the mystery man behind the wheel of the Hyundai i20 WRC in May.
Hyundai Motorsport has been building up its new operation from scratch since the start of the year, establishing the team at a dedicated facility in Alzenau, Germany and recruiting specialists at every level of its organisation.
Test drivers are an integral part of the team’s development programme, requiring the necessary skills and experience to develop a competitive and reliable rally car in a short space of time.
Six months ahead of the debut at Rallye Monte-Carlo in January 2014, Hyundai Motorsport is in the process of carrying out an intensive test programme to evaluate and develop the i20 WRC on all terrains and conditions.
Hänninen won the Intercontinental Rally Challenge in 2010 followed by the FIA Super 2000 World Rally Championship and the FIA European Rally Championship titles in 2011 and 2012 respectively. He will be a valuable asset for the team to prepare the assault to the 2014 FIA World Rally Championship.
Hyundai Motorsport will soon be in a position to announce a second test driver for the remainder of the 2013 test phase. 2014 drivers will be announced at the end of the year.
Hyundai Motorsport Team Principal Michel Nandan commented: “We’re very pleased to welcome Juho on board for our 2013 test programme. I’m sure his experience and background will contribute to the project and I’m happy with the job he’s done so far.
We have decided to work with different drivers with unique skills and capabilities this year, which will provide us with valuable feedback for 2014.
Hänninen said: “I’m delighted to be part of the Hyundai Motorsport testing programme for this year. It’s a fantastic opportunity to work closely to a manufacturer and to give my contribution to this great challenge.
The first run with the i20 WRC was quite positive for me; I’m very impressed with the work the team has done so far in such an incredibly short space of time. I feel comfortable with everyone in the team and I look forward to carry on working with them in the next six months.”
The opening, superspecial, stage of the 2014 Vodafone Rally de Portugal saw complete dominance by the Volkswagen Motorsport team, with its three cars claiming the three fastest times over the 3.27Km stage at the Praca do Imperio in Lisbon.
Fastest was reigning champion Sebastien Ogier, 1.3 seconds ahead of team-mate Jari-Matti Latvala, who celebrates his 29th birthday today. Third fastest was Andreas Mikkelsen, a further 0.9 seconds back.
Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville was fourth-fastest, 2.9 seconds slower than the stage winner with the first Citroen, driven by Kris Meeke and competing in Portugal for the first time, fifth, 0.7 seconds behind Neuville. The first Ford was Mikko Hirvonen in sixth, 4.3 seconds slower than Ogier.
The fastest WRC2 cars were those of Yuri Protasov and local hero Bernardo Sousa, setting identical times with Jari Ketomaa just 0.3 seconds slower.
The main field completed the first stage with no repeat of the 2013 dramas, which left Sepp Wiegand with a broken wheel and Michal Kosciuszko, whose bonnet flew up on his Mini and he was forced to complete with the panel covering the windscreen.
The crews now head back to the event base at the Algarve Stadium before the action restarts tomorrow (Friday 4 April) morning with the first of six stages.