Hyundai Motorsport has its sights set on a first podium of the 2017 FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) after Belgian crew Thierry Neuville and Nicolas Gilsoul strengthened their grasp on third position on Saturday.
It was a far more positive day of rallying for Hyundai Motorsport after a frustrating Friday prevented the team from mounting a stronger challenge for the outright lead.
Hayden Paddon put yesterday’s difficulties behind him to move up to a top-five position overall, while Dani Sordo holds a solid top-eight position after 17 of the weekend’s 19 stages.
The penultimate day of Rally Mexico, the third round of the season, was the busiest of the weekend with stages covering a total distance of 157.57km. A repeat loop of three stages was followed by two more runs at the Autódromo de León with a special street stage, Feria de León, bringing Saturday’s action to a thrilling conclusion.
For Hyundai Motorsport, Saturday’s schedule heralded a milestone moment as the team registered the 100th stage win in its WRC history with victory in SS9 (Media Luna 1).
Paddon and co-driver John Kennard look set for their best result of 2017 to date after moving into the top-five overall. Chasing down the Toyota of Juho Hänninen, the Kiwi pair not only moved ahead after the first run through El Brinco on Saturday morning, but also extended their lead over sixth place by more than one minute.
Paddon commented: “The team did a great job to fix the car after our engine misfire issues on Friday. It’s never easy to respond to pressured situations but they did just that, and I have generally felt comfortable in the car. We had an issue towards the end of the morning loop, in El Brinco, where we slid wide on a right-handed just 2km from the end. We hit a rock that caused an instant puncture. Apart from that, though, it’s been a more positive day. Patience has rewarded us with fifth place so far but we need to find more speed. We have time to study things tonight and make some improvements for tomorrow.”
Sunday at a glance
Two stages are left to contest in Mexico: the new 32.96km La Calera test and the 21.94km Derramadero Power Stage on Sunday morning.
Anything can still happen with 54.90km competitive stages remaining, but crews will hope to end the rally with a flourish – and some Power Stage points.
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