Hyundai Motorsport has completed Rally Finland with two New Generation i20 WRCs inside the top-five of the overall classification after a close fight throughout the weekend and a strong Sunday for the team.
Kiwis Hayden Paddon and John Kennard set the second-fastest stage time on each of the four final stages of Rally Finland on Sunday (EEST), to secure fifth place overall just 2.3 seconds behind Hyundai Motorsport team-mate Thierry Neuville with co-driver Nicolas Gilsoul. Looking at the combined times for the day’s final 34.20km of competition, the New Zealanders were the fastest WRC crew and were pleased to take two bonus points for second in the power stage.
Both Paddon and Neuville benefited from Ott Tanak crashing out of the rally. With victory going to Kris Meeke and Jari-Matti Latvala taking second, the resultant championship points puts Paddon into fourth place on the WRC drivers’ championship leader-board with 84 points.
“It’s been a challenging weekend but there are some positives to take away,” Paddon commented. “We were second on the road for much of the weekend, so to come away with a top-five result is not too bad. We had a decent final day even if the driving was a bit untidy at times.
“We didn’t take any massive risks and concentrated on getting the cars home. With that in mind, to take 1-2 in the Power Stage was a nice consolation. We gave it our all but we’ve struggled with the car in the slippery conditions. It was a close fight with Thierry and I’ve really enjoyed these fantastic stages.”
On a positive final day, Thierry Neuville registered a stage win in SS22 (Oittila) with Hayden Paddon right behind. It marked the team’s 30th stage win of the season and a fourth stage 1-2 of 2016. They then added to that in spectacular style with a 1-2 in the rally-concluding Power Stage – picking up extra points.
Hyundai Shell World Rally Team drivers Neuville and Paddon have been inseparable all weekend, as they have fought hard for a podium finish. Ultimately, the pair had to settle for fourth and fifth positions despite reducing the gap to the podium to just 4.6-seconds during Sunday’s four stages.
The result gives Hyundai Motorsport a healthy haul of manufacturer points and helps to solidify the team’s second position in the WRC Manufacturers’ Championship.
For Hyundai Motorsport, despite missing out on an elusive maiden Rally Finland podium by just 4.6-seconds, this weekend’s result continues a strong season. The team has completed one of the toughest rallies of the season with all three cars inside the top-ten, adding more manufacturer points to consolidate second position in the Championship.
The FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) moves next to Germany for Rallye Deutschland, round nine of the season from 18-21 August. It will be the home rally for the Alzenau-based Hyundai Motorsport team, who celebrated a memorable 1-2 result in the asphalt event two years ago.
Overall Final Classification
K. Meeke / P. Nagle (Citroën DS3 WRC) 2:38:05.8
J. M. Latvala / M. Anttila (Volkswagen Polo R WRC) +29.1
C. Breen / S. Martin (Citroën DS3 WRC) +1:41.3
T. Neuville / N. Gilsoul (Hyundai New Generation i20 WRC) +1:45.9
H. Paddon / J. Kennard (Hyundai New Generation i20 WRC) +1:48.2
M. Østberg / O. Floene (Ford Fiesta RS WRC) +2:04.6
A. Mikkelsen / A. Jaeger (Volkswagen Polo R WRC) +2:22.4
E. Lappi / J. Ferm (Škoda Fabia R5) +4:53.8
K. Abbring / S. Marshall (Hyundai New Generation i20 WRC) +5:22.4
T. Suninen / M. Markkula (Škoda Fabia R5) +5:35.5
2016 FIA World Rally Championship for Drivers’ Standings
S. Ogier 143 points / A. Mikkelsen 98 / J. M. Latvala 87 / H. Paddon 84 / T. Neuville 76 / M. Østberg 70 / D. Sordo 68 / O. Tanak 52 / K. Meeke 51 / C. Breen 25 / E. Camilli 23 / H. Solberg 14 / S. Lefebvre 12 / M. Prokop 12 / T. Suninen 8 / M. Ligato 6 / E. Evans 6 / E. Lappi 6 / L. Bertelli 4 / K. Abbring 4 / P. Tidemand / N. Fuchs 2 / A. Kremer 1 / V. Gorban 1 / J. Kopecky 1
2016 FIA World Rally Championship for Manufacturers’ Standings
Volkswagen Motorsport 227 points / Hyundai Motorsport 168 / M-Sport World Rally Team 112 / Volkswagen Motorsport II 109 / Hyundai Motorsport N 86 / DMACK World Rally Team 58 / Jipocar Czech National Team 18 / Yazeed Racing 6
All results remain subject to official FIA confirmation.
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