Take a look at some key events for Hyundai Motorsport customers this weekend
Portuguese season takes veteran Sordo to new territory in round two
Dani Sordo will make his first ever start at the Rallye Casinos do Algarve as the Portuguese Rally Championship heads into unfamiliar territory for he and co-driver Cándido Carrera.
The gravel rally, based in the south of the country, is the second round of their national series season with Team Hyundai Portugal. After a strong start, finishing second in the opening round of the season on more familiar stages, this weekend may offer a better measure of where the Spanish pair stand in the championship.
In a change to the opening round, the second of the Hyundai Portugal-supported i20 N Rally2 will be crewed by Gonçalo Henriques and Inês Veiga. The event will be the pair’s first competitive start in a Rally2-spec car after winning the two-wheel-drive class of the national championship in 2024.
A third i20 N Rally2 on the stages will be driven by Lithuanian Rokas Steponavičius with compatriot and co-driver Dovydas Ketvirtis. The duo has already scored one top ten on gravel this month – at last week’s Rallye Tierras Altas do Lorca in Spain – and will be looking for a similarly consistent performance this weekend.
Austrian championship competitors return to action after winter thaw
Nearly three months on from the traditional season opener, the competitors of the Austrian Rally Championship return to action at the Rebenland Rallye.
The January snow and ice have faded away, leaving behind the tarmac roads for the stages of round two, with two i20 N Rally2 crews among the entrants. Simon Wagner and Hanna Ostlender made a strong start to their season at the Jännerrallye, finishing second in their first time with the Hyundai Motorsport-built car. On the strength of that early performance Wagner again promises to be on the pace at the Rebenland Rallye, where he is the defending winner from 2024.
Slovenian pairing Ivan Hrženjak and Rok Gomizelj already have two wins in their i20 N Rally2 this year – both coming in small Rally Show or circuit-based events. The trip to Austria will be their first national rally event with the car, and their first event in the country, having previously completed largely in their home country and neighbouring Croatia.
