Cyril Abiteboul’s words were as precise as they were considered. The WRC27 train had, indeed, left the station.
But the station wasn’t closed.
“What can still happen,” said the president of Hyundai Motorsport, “is that we, like many other manufacturers, will have a Rally2 car.”
It’s fair to say that while Hyundai’s i20 N Rally2 has taken major steps forward on asphalt, it’s remained very much mid-pack on the loose. It’s also fair to say that, due to the limitations of homologation jokers, it’s unlikely to morph into a gravel master any time soon.
The answer would be a brand-new car in 2027, permitted because the current i20 model will have been homologated for five years at that point. And that’s precisely what Hyundai’s customer racing department is pushing for.
Benoit Nogier, customer racing manager, told DirtFish: “We can re-homologate a complete car based on the current street car. We have now this opportunity and we still want to improve the car, we still want to move forward, even if it’s not confirmed at 100%, we will probably launch the development of big evolutions ready for 2027.
“The target will be always improving our products, show our commitment. That’s where we are now. We do not have, regarding the regulation, to really pay attention to the jokers, as now we can re-homologate a complete new car – even if it will be only in 2027. We will announce a few minor improvements for 2026. The only objection is the budget. So, we are still working on consolidating the budget for 2026. I would say that it is the last barrier to do the [2027] evolution now. I think we can be really optimistic.”
Nogier pointed to the wider implications of an all-new Rally2 car for 2027, adding: “It’s clear, and Cyril already mentioned it, that if Hyundai will carry on the WRC adventure in ’27, we’ll have to use the Rally2. So it’s true that it could [be] helpful, it could be almost mandatory to be ready with a top car in 2027.
“But the decision is not driven by what will be or what will not be the top tier program – first of all, we want to carry on to improve the performance of the Rally2 for our current customers. It is the first and main target at the moment.”
Asked for his thoughts on the cost-capped WRC27 car, Nogier admitted that, to his mind, the price of the cars wasn’t the issue.
“Basically, the target of the cost cap – which is €345,000 – I believe it is something which looks really achievable. After this, and this is the big number that we all need to really pay attention to, it is the running cost. It’s maybe OK to build a car for €345,000 euros, but maybe on those €345,000 cars, if a door costs €10,000, this is not acceptable in the customer world. And this is really what we need to pay attention to. What will be the price for the dampers? For the under-protection of the car? We consume all those parts quite a lot on Rally2. And we have to be cost efficient.”
Reflecting on the decision to work more on the Tarmac-specification of the car with the September 2024 upgrades, Nogier said: “Due to a limited number of jokers, it was impossible to do all what we wanted to do on the car. So, we had to do a strong choice. And we clearly preferred to maximize the performance of the Tarmac car, because I would say around 75% of our customers run on the Tarmac – sacrificing, for a while, the gravel.
“And it worked very well in 2025. Dani [Sordo] beat Kris [Meeke’s Toyota] in Portugal and he won the final event on the Tarmac. So, I believe the choice to push on the Tarmac was very beneficial for Dani. We saw good performances as well in Czech Republic – we won two rallies in Czech Republic in front of [Jan] Kopecký.
“And in France against Citroën, who is potentially the best car on the Tarmac, we won the four events on the last five with Eric [Camilli]. And Hugo Margaillan was as well very, very fast. So this choice was, I would say, a good choice.”
Typically, Nogier was all about putting his customers first – Hyundai i20 N Rally2 drivers around the world are his first and only priority.
“Rally2 is very successful at the moment,” he said. “So we have to take care to have a look on how we have to evaluate the situation, to evaluate what the new regulation means regarding the Rally2. Maybe there are other ways to investigate as well for the future of the Rally2 categories. But again, we have to be very, very attentive because it is the core of the business.”
Right now, he’s not wrong. How can he be? Rally2 is big business. And finding the right answer to some big questions over world – and domestic – rallying’s hierarchy in the coming years will help shape the sport’s next generation.
