MOTOR SPORTS NEWS

Latest News

  • Conor Daly finished 8th in his 10th Indianapolis 500 – Ed Carpenter Racing
  • Ed Carpenter Racing & Conor Daly competes in 107th Running of the Indianapolis 500
  • Jim Clark Rally takes the BRC to the closed roads of the Scottish Borders for Rd 2, 2023 season
  • How Extreme E delivered off track in Scotland
  • Misano 2023 EU Truck Race Report from T Sport Bernau team
  • Home
  • News
  • Dakar
    • DAKAR 2016
    • Dakar 2015
  • Cross-Country Rally
  • Notice Board
  • Rally
  • Motorbike
  • Touring Cars
  • Circuit Racing
  • Events
  • follow
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Google+
    • Pinterest
    • RSS Feed
    • Linked
    • Youtube

Irish crew continue to impress on their Finland WRC debut with Hyundai Motorsport

Aug 03, 2019


  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
Tweet
Rally Finland – Day Two Report

  • Hyundai Motorsport has enjoyed another encouraging day at Rally Finland, round nine of the 14-event 2019 FIA World Rally Championship (WRC)
  • Andreas Mikkelsen has moved up to fourth place overall, fending off close opposition from Sébastien Ogier in fifth and Hyundai Motorsport team-mate Craig Breen in sixth
  • Just 8.6 seconds split the trio with Thierry Neuville a further 20 seconds further back in seventh spot overall, with four stages left to contest.

Jyväskylä, Finland

August 3, 2019 – Hyundai Motorsport continues to find improved form on the high-speed gravel stages of Rally Finland, round nine of the 2019 FIA World Rally Championship (WRC), ending the penultimate day with its crews involved in an incredibly close battle for fourth position.

Andreas Mikkelsen leads the Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team charge in fourth place after another competitive day for the Norwegians, which ended with the team’s fourth stage win of the weekend.

Craig Breen and Paul Nagle picked up where they left off on Friday with some more standout moments in the Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC; they finished Saturday just 8.6 seconds behind their team-mates in sixth place. Belgians Thierry Neuville and Nicolas Gilsoul, meanwhile, moved up a spot on the overall classification to seventh.

Saturday’s itinerary, the longest day distance of the weekend by total stage distance at almost 133km, covered some familiar roads. A loop of four stages – Pihlajakoski (14.42km), Päijälä (22.87km), Kakaristo (18.70km) and Leustu (10.50km) – was run twice, separated by lunchtime service at Jyväskylä.

In typical Finnish style, the pace was ferocious and relentless with tenths-of-a-second making a massive difference on the standings. Mikkelsen had been embroiled in a cat-and-mouse fight with Sébastien Ogier throughout the day, the pair swapping positions after almost each stage, with Breen right on their tails. It promises to be a tight scrap for fourth place on the final morning with the top-three contenders seemingly out of reach.

Crew Notes: Andreas Mikkelsen/Anders Jæger-Amland (#89 Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC)

  • Norwegians end Saturday as the leading Hyundai Motorsport crew in fourth
  • Top-three times on both Kakaristo stages and stage win in SS19 (Leustu)

Mikkelsen said: “It has been an epic fight, with positions changing hands back and forth throughout the day. I’ve enjoyed it, competing with everything we have on some truly beautiful stages. It’s been really cool. The car has given me all the confidence I need on both loops. We made a few adjustments to our pace notes for the afternoon, specifically for the wider sections, and although it was rough at times we gave it our maximum. The second run through Kakaristo was just what we needed to keep hold of fourth place. Following that up with our second stage win of the weekend was perfect. A lot of fun!”

Crew Notes: Craig Breen/Paul Nagle (#42 Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC)

  • Irish crew continue to impress on their WRC debut with Hyundai Motorsport
  • Fighting inside the top-six with impressive tenacity and spirit

Breen said: “There were a few more struggles compared to yesterday, mainly on the narrower sections where I lacked confidence. I’ve never had such a stable car so it takes time to get used to committing fully. SS17 was a particular highlight today; there was not a millimetre left out on the stage and I think it was one of the best stages of my entire career. We didn’t end the day so positively, unfortunately. We lowered the ride height of the car for the last stage but the conditions were rougher than we expected so we lost a bit of time. We are still in a close battle and there are plenty of positives from today.”

Crew Notes: Thierry Neuville/Nicolas Gilsoul (#11 Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC)

  • An improved day on the Finnish stages for the Belgian crew
  • Gained a position to seventh overall on the classification

Neuville said: “A much better feeling and a more positive day overall. Of course, the road cleaning has made life far from perfect but we’re trying to enjoy ourselves and work within the confines of what is possible. We lost too much time yesterday but everyone is pushing really hard and we have to keep an eye on the championship, rather than a single stage result. I don’t think we could have done much more today. The only slight disappointment was picking up a bit of rear damage late in the afternoon loop. Even if we’re not in the position we would like to be, we have to accept where we can make a difference, and salvage what we can from the weekend.”

Team Director Andrea Adamo: “I am a bit sad because I would have liked to have given a quicker car to our three crews today, one that reflected their amazing commitment and determination. Andreas, above all, has fought hard, refusing to give up when he was initially passed by Ogier and instead responding immediately. He showed impressive resilience and reclaimed time on stages where our car was perhaps a bit more competitive. We are now firmly in the fight for fourth but we are again reminded that we are still not at the level we need to be, and certainly not enough to challenge the top-three in this event.”

Sunday at a glance

  • Four stages will be run on the final morning, a total of 45.74km
  • The Laukaa (11.75km) and Ruuhimäki (11.12km) loop will be run twice, with the latter stage being repeated as the rally-concluding Power Stage.

Classification after Day Two

1 O. Tänak M. Järveoja Toyota Yaris WRC 2:08:49.4
2 E. Lappi J. Ferm Citroën C3 WRC +16.4
3 J.M Latvala M. Anttila Toyota Yaris WRC +28.8
4 A. Mikkelsen A. Jæger-Amland Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC +50.5
5 S. Ogier J. Ingrassia Citroën C3 WRC +53.1
6 C. Breen P. Nagle Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC +59.1
7 T. Neuville N. Gilsoul Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC +1:19.3
8 T. Suninen J. Lehtinen Ford Fiesta WRC +2:05.3
9 G. Greensmith E. Edmondson Ford Fiesta WRC +4:09.7

  • tweet
Related articles
  • Conor Daly finished 8th in his 10th Indianapolis 500 – Ed Carpenter Racing
    Conor Daly finished 8th in his 10th...

    May 30, 2023 Comments Off on Conor Daly finished 8th in his 10th Indianapolis 500 – Ed Carpenter Racing

  • Ed Carpenter Racing & Conor Daly competes in 107th Running of the Indianapolis 500
    Ed Carpenter Racing & Conor Daly...

    May 27, 2023 Comments Off on Ed Carpenter Racing & Conor Daly competes in 107th Running of the Indianapolis 500

  • Jim Clark Rally takes the BRC to the closed roads of the Scottish Borders for Rd 2, 2023 season
    Jim Clark Rally takes the BRC to the...

    May 26, 2023 Comments Off on Jim Clark Rally takes the BRC to the closed roads of the Scottish Borders for Rd 2, 2023 season

  • How Extreme E delivered off track in Scotland
    How Extreme E delivered off track in...

    May 26, 2023 Comments Off on How Extreme E delivered off track in Scotland

More in this category
  • Conor Daly finished 8th in his 10th Indianapolis 500 – Ed Carpenter Racing
    Conor Daly finished 8th in his 10th...

    Comments Off on Conor Daly finished 8th in his 10th Indianapolis 500 – Ed Carpenter Racing

  • Ed Carpenter Racing & Conor Daly competes in 107th Running of the Indianapolis 500
    Ed Carpenter Racing & Conor Daly...

    Comments Off on Ed Carpenter Racing & Conor Daly competes in 107th Running of the Indianapolis 500

  • Jim Clark Rally takes the BRC to the closed roads of the Scottish Borders for Rd 2, 2023 season
    Jim Clark Rally takes the BRC to the...

    Comments Off on Jim Clark Rally takes the BRC to the closed roads of the Scottish Borders for Rd 2, 2023 season

  • How Extreme E delivered off track in Scotland
    How Extreme E delivered off track in...

    Comments Off on How Extreme E delivered off track in Scotland


Fleet Car Magazine

Notice Board

  • For Sale! 1991 Jordan-Ford driven by Mick Schumacher at Bonhams Grandes Marques du Monde à Paris auction
    For Sale! 1991 Jordan-Ford driven by Mick Schumacher at...

    Jan 18, 2023

    Tweet1991 Jordan-Ford driven by Mick Schumacher in 2021 to...
  • Opel Ireland partners with Mondello Park to launch 2022 EARLY-DRIVE road safety programme
    Opel Ireland partners with Mondello Park to launch 2022...

    Aug 21, 2022

    TweetA unique young driver education programme, developed...
  • Goodyear FIA ETRC pays tribute to Anthony Janiec
    Goodyear FIA ETRC pays tribute to Anthony Janiec

    Aug 07, 2022

    Tweet The Goodyear FIA ETRC, ETRA Promotion and the entire...
  • Killarney Forestry Rally to raise funds for Air Ambulance
    Killarney Forestry Rally to raise funds for Air Ambulance

    Feb 03, 2022

    TweetRally drivers from across Ireland will help fund...
  • McHugh’s Service Station, Ballindine Mayo Stages Rally, 6 March 2022
    McHugh’s Service Station, Ballindine Mayo Stages Rally, 6...

    Jan 27, 2022

    TweetMayo & District Motorsport Club, organisers of the...

Categories

  • Africa Eco-Race
  • Baja
  • BRC
  • Circuit Racing
  • Cross-Country Rally
  • Dakar
  • Dakar 2015
  • DAKAR 2016
  • DAKAR 2017
  • DAKAR 2019 PERU
  • DAKAR RALLY 2018
  • EV Motorsport
  • Events
  • EverGreeens: Irish Abroad
  • Extreme E
  • Forestry Rally
  • Formula 1
  • Hillclimb
  • IndyCar Series
  • Interview
  • Middle East Rally Championship
  • Morocco Rally
  • Motorbike
  • News
  • Notice Board
  • Rally
  • RallyX
  • Related products
  • Review
  • Sportscars
  • Touring Cars
  • Tribute
  • Truck Racing
  • Uncategorized
  • Video
  • WRC
Tweets by @IrMotSportNews

Recent Posts

How Extreme E delivered off track in Scotland

How Extreme E delivered off track in Scotland

May 26, 2023

Tweet The Hydro X Prix in Dumfries and Galloway marked a number of successes on course at the former opencast coal mine at Glenmuckloch. There were also multiple initiatives taking place off-track as...
Read More
Overdrive Racing Toyota Hilux crew Al-Rajhi & Gottschalk win new Tabuk-Neom Rally

Overdrive Racing Toyota Hilux crew Al-Rajhi...

May 21, 2023

X44 Vida Carbon Racing’s Fraser McConnell’s first win in Extreme E

X44 Vida Carbon Racing’s Fraser...

May 19, 2023

40 years of Audi Sport GmbH with a Rev-Up at the Nürburgring!

40 years of Audi Sport GmbH with a Rev-Up at the...

May 19, 2023

Impressive entry list for first Tabuk-Neom Rally: 2023 Saudi Toyota Rally Championship

Impressive entry list for first Tabuk-Neom Rally:...

May 14, 2023

Copyright 2016 / All rights reserved