Hyundai is reportedly readying a rally car as part of its Paris Motor Show stand for what could be the announcement of the company’s return to the WRC fold.
Speaking with a local Hyundai representative, we’ve learned that the company will unveil a rally-going version of one of its cars at the upcoming Paris Motor Show as part of an important announcement. Although the story is speculative at this stage, the representative stated that Hyundai generally doesn’t reveal such models without the intention of making an announcement. In this case, it strongly suggests a return to WRC.
Hyundai’s involvement in motorsports currently centres around New Zealand-born rally and Formula drift series ace, Rhys Millen. Millen has already completed the 2009 Pikes Peak Hillclimb with the Genesis Coupe in 2009 and, more recently, competed in the US Rallycross Championship at the helm of a 373 kW AWD Veloster.
The most likely candidate for Hyundai’s WRC entrant is probably a modified version of Millen’s Veloster, although there have been mentions of a potential rally car based upon the recently revealed i30 three-door.
Some of us will vaguely recall Hyundai’s last foray into the F2 class of the World Rally Championships with Alister McRae, Kenneth Eriksson and, later on, Juha Kankkunen at the helm of the Elantra WRC car between 2000-2002. The team logged some respectable results, including Kankkunen’s fourth-placed finish in New Zealand in 2002.
Given Hyundai’s propensity for passionately chasing down all of Volkswagen’s endeavours (read the German firm’s WRC plans hinging upon the Polo R racer) it’s not a stretch to assume that the Korean firm intends to go racing again…