Hayden Paddon and co-driver John Kennard made their Monte debut in 2016. They will be looking to put that experience to good use in their second participation. The Kiwi rally winner wants to feature more frequently at the front in 2017.
Paddon commented:
“I am feeling in good shape and raring to go for the season ahead. I am cautiously optimistic about the potential of the Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC. But we never really know where we stand until we’re out on the stages. Monte Carlo is a baptism of fire for everyone, particularly with the new regulations. So it promises to be an exciting rally. However, it is also the most challenging event of the year. The focus for us is to finish and get more miles in the new car.”
Here we go again…..2017 underway #Recce #Monte pic.twitter.com/Iq9tONdMoz
— Hayden Paddon (@HaydenPaddon) 16 January 2017
Thierry Neuville claimed a podium at Monte-Carlo twelve months ago. Alongside co-driver Nicolas Gilsoul, he will want to continue his unbroken run of podium finishes that dates back to Rallye Deutschland last August.
Neuville said:
“I am looking forward to starting the new season. My experiences in Monte Carlo have been mixed in the past, but I finished on the podium last season. Undoubtedly it’s a great event and a spectacular one for the fans. There is a lot of strategy to it, which makes it interesting as it means that everyone on the team is involved. With the increased power of the new car too, we are confident that we can challenge here!”
5️⃣will be the number on our @HMSGOfficial i20WRC for the @OfficialWRC. You like it? Happy the team give me the opportunity to choose for it pic.twitter.com/5bYrwSPMPQ
— Thierry Neuville (@thierryneuville) 3 January 2017
Monte-Carlo delivered a solid top-six result for Hyundai’s Spanish crew Dani Sordo/Marc Martí in 2016. They took second place in the Power Stage. The crew fought for second in the Championship last year and will want to show their podium potential at this year’s season-opener.
Sordo said:
“It has been good to be back behind the wheel of our Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC in pre-event testing (last) week. I cannot wait for the new season to start properly. There have been a lot of changes with the regulations so it will definitely be exciting to see how everything unfolds in this first round of 2017. I am personally happy with the approach we took with our new car. I know the team has worked incredibly hard so now we want to get onto the stages and do our best for a good start to the new season.”
