Hyundai Motorsport’s World Rally Championship-2 driver Ole Christian Veiby will step up to the top class of machinery for the WRC season finale at Monza Rally, taking the place of Pierre-Louis Loubet in 2C Competition’s Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC.
Former continental rallycross frontrunner Veiby made the full-time switch to WRC2 in 2016 and has remained there ever since, picking up his first win on Rally Poland in 2017 and then scoring a second on Rally Sweden last year.
After spells with Škoda Motorsport and Citroën’s semi-works PH Sport team, Veiby went privateer last year before being picked up by Hyundai.
That gave the 24-year-old Norwegian the opportunity to start doing shakedown tests in World Rally Cars at Hyundai Motorsport’s German test track, and now he and co-driver Jonas Andersson have been rewarded with a chance to drive the current i20 Coupe WRC on a world championship event.
“This is a fantastic opportunity for me, competing in a World Rally Car at the top level is what I’ve been working to achieve throughout my career,” said Veiby.
“Monza will be totally new to me, but that’s the same situation for many drivers after its late call-up to the WRC calendar as a COVID-19 replacement.
“I’m hoping we’ll have a small test in the run-up to the event but my shakedown work with Hyundai’s factory i20 World Rally Cars means I’m reasonably familiar with the inside of the car, even if I have no competitive experience.”
Veiby will join reigning WRC champion Ott Tänak in contesting Estonia’s Kehala Rally this Saturday (November 14) – albeit in an i20 R5 – to prepare for the asphalt-based WRC finale in December.
His absence from the WRC2 entry list for Monza means he will likely slip down the standings, while it also puts into question if Loubet will enter the rally at all now Veiby is in the car he usually pilots.
However, 2C Competition had planned to enter two cars on the now canceled Ypres Rally, with a second Hyundai being prepared for local driver Pieter Tsjoen
