Spaniard Dani Sordo took his second stage win of this year’s Vodafone Rally de Portugal on the third stage of the event and the second of Day Two. After his win on the first stage of the day, this gives Hyundai Motorsport two for two from the second day of the event and gives him the lead after three stages.
The second of the day’s six stages proved slippier than the first, with many drivers complaining of changing grip throughout the stage. With Sordo running 12th on the road, he didn't feel that he was gaining a huge advantage by running further back though, posting faster times than anyone thoughout the stage.
Second fastest was Ott Tanak in the first Ford Fiesta WRC, 4 seconds behind Sordo to climb up to second overall after three stages. Third fastest was Mikko Hirvonen in the works Fiesta while Sebastien Ogier, running first on the road, was fourth, 6.5 seconds slower than Sordo.
Henning Solberg arrived at the stage end with a flat tyre on the rear of his Ford Fiesta but with no idea how the deflation happened – he hadn’t hit anything and the wheel was unmarked.
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.”