Hyundai’s deputy team director Julien Moncet has learned to be a cautious man. Monte Carlo taught him that. And with the round one debacle – “We’re just glad to be at the start…” – still fresh in his mind, there was no way he was taking the bait.
Second in Sweden was the launchpad for a line of questioning he swerved through Croatia and Portugal.
Could Hyundai Motorsport go one better? When would the i20 N Rally1 win?
He talked points, possibly podiums, but not wins. He wasn’t going to risk that.
Until now.
Sardinia is, you see, a special place for Hyundai. The i20 has bee a dominant force on the Italian island in recent seasons. It’s won four of the last six.
Hence the optimism.
“In Portugal, all three of our crews showed that our Hyundai i20 N Rally1 is competitive on gravel and our third place with Dani [Sordo] proved that,” said Moncet.
“Now our goal for Rally Italy is to increase our performance and get on the top step of the podium.
“The entire team is working tirelessly to further improve the car in terms of speed and consistency. We know that we are close to where we want to be, we just have to put everything together over a weekend to achieve the results we deserve.
“Hopefully this will happen in Sardinia and we can be fighting for the win until the very end.”
There. He’s said it. And arguably, Sardinia is the best chance yet.
Every round of the WRC this season is a flat-out fight, but Sardinia and Safari remain the two which demand the head as well as the heart. Sordo has taken brilliant strategic wins twice in the last three years.
Rarely would a Spaniard jumping in the Alghero harbor have provided such a welcome sight as it would on Sunday afternoon.
