Hyundai Motorsport has added important points to its FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) manufacturers’ total with Thierry Neuville and Dani Sordo scoring for their respective fourth and ninth place finishes in Rally México.
Neuville and Nicolas Gilsoul also added three Power Stage points added to their championship tally
“That was not the weekend we wanted. From the puncture early on Friday morning, and with our road position, it has been a really challenging event from start to finish. We have been missing some speed at times and generally struggling. I felt I was driving on a good rhythm but we weren’t on our usual pace. [On the last day] I tried to keep a good rhythm in case something happened to the guys in front but that meant we didn’t have enough tyre performance left for the Power Stage, unlike some of our rivals. We have to put this rally to one side and re-group ready for Corsica”, Neuville said.
Gracias @RallyMexico ! This weekend was tough and challenging but your roads are amazing and it’s always a pleasure to come here! See you next year ????#WRC #RallyMexico #HMSGOfficial #TN100 #NG pic.twitter.com/OzQzOgtVbV
— Thierry Neuville (@thierryneuville) March 11, 2019
Sordo and Carlos del Barrio’s performance was hampered by Friday retirement
“Our aim was to drive within our limits and to pick up some manufacturers’ points, which are so important for the team. At the start of the Power Stage, I was enjoying the car so we gave it a bit of a push but nothing too crazy. I have had fun driving the stages this weekend, and the support from the crowds has been amazing, even if the end result was not what we could have achieved. We were fighting at the front on Friday until our problems so the potential is definitely there. We’ll be back stronger at the next rally in Corsica”, Sordo explained.
Andreas Mikkelsen and Anders Jæger-Amland took three stage wins over the weekend
Mikkelsen said: “It’s easy to dwell on the missed opportunities, but it is important that we look at the many positives. The i20 Coupe WRC performed much more to my liking on these gravel stages, and that was reflected in our competitive stage times on Friday. Obviously, we weren’t able to fight for the sort of result we were capable of scoring but that’s rallying sometimes. The final day was clean and we had a decent run through the Power Stage. It was my first attempt at Las Minas as I missed out on Friday afternoon. It wasn’t perfect but another useful lesson.”
#RallyMexico ?? SS21 ☑️
⏱️6.37,0
? A lot of positives to take with us. The car is feeling much to my liking. For this stage I had a good clean run, missing the first pass of it, so I was discovering the road a bit. Not really a perfect run, but is was fine. #WRC #HMSGOfficial pic.twitter.com/M91LkmNJsZ— Andreas Mikkelsen (@AMikkelsenRally) March 10, 2019
Team Director Andrea Adamo added: “These are not the results we come to WRC events to achieve, but we cannot be frustrated or disappointed. The situation is what it is. We must take the lessons home and work as hard as we always do to make improvements. At the top level of international rallying, we simply cannot afford to any faults that compromise the end results. Our Rally México was affected from the opening day, and it has been damage limitation ever since. We will remain focused and pursue diligence in our work ahead of Corsica.”
