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While Thierry Neuville took the title fight to the final round last season, there’s a fear the Hyundai is slipping back in terms of pace against its world championship rivals. Last week’s Rally Mexico – never an especially happy hunting ground for the Hyundai – was another lacklustre display, with Neuville’s distant fourth the best the firm could manage. Dani Sordo was fighting for the lead when he retired with an electrical fault, while Andreas Mikkelsen hit a rock and dropped out with damaged suspension. In an effort to reverse those fortunes, Hyundai is working towards the use of two homologation jokers in time for Rally Finland. Despite a tough Rally Mexico, team principal Andrea Adamo remained upbeat. He told Motorsport,com's sister publication MN: “From the first moment that I was asked to take on this responsibility I knew I had been asked to manage something tough. "I knew until July when we have our new homologation the job would be to take the best out … [Read more...] about Hyundai WRC car set for major mid-season update

The Frenchman, who has won two of the first three rounds of this year’s series, pressed the team to run Reiger dampers – the same manufacturer he used at M-Sport last season – on the year’s opening gravel round in Mexico. Read Also: Mexico WRC: Ogier wins, Tanak beats Evans to second Finding a solution to C3 WRC’s suspension set-up on gravel is reckoned to be one of the final pieces of the jigsaw following an overhaul of the chassis, which included significant front and rear geometry work last season. Ogier suffered a transmission issue with the C3 WRC on the second day in Mexico, but otherwise team principal Pierre Budar said work on the car was focused on fine-tuning dampers in the search for grip during the Leon-based rally. Without being specific in his requests from the team, Ogier told Motorsport.com he wants more from Citroen. “Like always, I’m pushing – you can count on that,” he said. “Sure, it’s a good start [to the year], but in Mexico there were a … [Read more...] about Ogier pushing Citroen for fundamental changes

Ogier , a two-time winner in Corsica, failed to score a single fastest time in a C3 WRC which suffered from a lack of grip during the season’s first all-tarmac event. He managed to salvage second overall, after Elfyn Evans dropped behind him on the final stage, and Ott Tanak had exited the lead battle with a puncture on Saturday’s last test. “The lack of speed was really not what we were expecting,” Ogier told Motorsport.com. “We kept fighting and, in the end, we can be happy with what we achieved from this rally. “For sure, some years ago I would have been really pissed [off] with this, but now I have some more perspective and we fight. “The car was understeering and lacking grip. The weekend turned into a real-life testing session. “We tested many different set-ups to try and locate the exact problem and even though we can’t say we really found the solution, these three days were very important in terms of getting to know the car.” Ogier and teammate … [Read more...] about Ogier: Corsica was a “real-life test” for Citroen

Toyota is the only one of the WRC’s current four factory teams not to have an R5 car available, as Citroen, Ford and Hyundai are all represented in the class. The delay has been caused by the lack of a suitable 1600cc engine in Toyota’s road car range, but a new car on the way from Toyota should alleviate that issue. Sources have suggested the Yaris R5 will be available in 2021. “We are making a study right now,” Makinen said. “But it is in the plan [to build an R5]. “We expect there to be another [road] car coming soon with a new engine and that’s what we need. But we have to wait until the homologation and production number of that [engine] is available. “It will be an interesting project and a good way to see more Toyotas competing around the world. “We hear from the FIA that this category is not going to change, which is good news because this class [R5] is a good one.” Skoda’s Fabia R5 has won the WRC2 championship every year since its introduction in … [Read more...] about Toyota planning to build WRC2-spec Yaris

Ott Tanak and Kris Meeke both took turns in the lead of the Villa Carlos Paz-based event, but both suffered potentially rally-ending transmission problems with their Yaris WRCs in the day’s final test. Jari-Matti Latvala meanwhile suffered two punctures with only one spare and hobbled back into service with a flat left-rear. Regulations dictate cars must travel on road sections with four inflated tyres – the Finn just about fulfilled that stipulation. Despite those issues, the Tanak sits third with Meeke one place further back and Latvala eighth. Read Also: Argentina WRC: Neuville takes lead after Tanak spin Tanak talked of a broken left-front driveshaft midway through the final stage, but the team later confirmed to Motorsport.com the problem was with the rubber boot which sits around the shaft where it connects with the differential. Technical director Tom Fowler said: “The boot went missing in the stage. We’ve seen this before here: it could have been the … [Read more...] about Toyota drivers escape rally-ending issues in Argentina