Hyundai Motorsport has revealed pictures of its first test with a i20 N-based Rally1 car.
The team was testing on rough gravel in the south of France last week, following the car’s roll out closer to the squad’s German base earlier this month.
It’s not known whether the car was running in full hybrid specification. Sources suggest Hyundai is following the lead of both M-Sport and Toyota in running the internal combustion engine set-up without the Compact Dynamics-supplied power motor and battery at initial tests.
What is noticeable from the test is the conservative aero – as predicted by DirtFish, the additional wings and dive planes have all gone in respect to the 2022 regulations.
Hyundai Motorsport team principal Andrea Adamo said: “It’s a special moment when you take a car to the road for the first time and as always there are some challenges to face.
“In the case of the 2022 Rally1 challenger, we are starting from scratch with brand-new rules, a different concept and a new base model, the Hyundai i20 N.
“It was thrilling to kick-off the testing and to start this exciting new adventure. During last week’s session we have seen interesting things, some that need to be changed and improved but it is all part of the process and of the job.
“The team at Hyundai Motorsport has done an amazing job and has worked so hard to prepare the car for the first test in such a short amount of time.
“Of course, we are just at the beginning of a long journey but I do think we have interesting times ahead of us before Rallye Monte-Carlo 2022.”
