Hyundai Motorsport has
registered its maiden victory of the 2017 FIA World Rally Championship (WRC)
with Neuville and co-driver Nicolas Gilsoul securing victory in Tour de Corse
in the #5 Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC. The Belgian claimed his win at the four-day
Che Guevara Energy Drink Tour de Corse.
Neuville topped the
leaderboard by 54.7sec in a Hyundai i20, having crashed out of the lead in both
Monte-Carlo and Sweden earlier in the year.
He becomes the fourth
different driver to win in the opening four rounds of the new-era WRC, each
representing a different manufacturer. The last season in which four different
teams won consecutive events was 1987.
Neuville was patient while he
fine-tuned his car’s set-up on Friday for the narrow and twisty mountain road
speed tests on the Mediterranean island. He grabbed the initiative on Saturday
when Kris Meeke retired from the lead with engine problems and eased through
today’s finale.
Sébastien Ogier extended his
championship lead to 13 points after passing Dani Sordo in the final test.
Electrical problems slowed the Frenchman’s Ford Fiesta in the previous special
stage to allow the Spaniard ahead, but he overturned a 2.5sec deficit to
prevail by 1.7sec.
Dani Sordo made it a rally to celebrate for
the Hyundai team, picking up his first podium of 2017 with an assured drive to
third place, missing out on second position by just 1.3-seconds. The result represents the fourth WRC victory
in total for Hyundai Motorsport, and the team’s fifth double podium result.
Hayden Paddon finished sixth to ensure all
three Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team crews finished a gruelling rally on
Corsica.
The championship returns to gravel for round
five when Villa Carlos Paz hosts YPF Rally Argentina on 27 - 30 April.
Final Overall Classification -
Tour de Corse
|
Pos
|
Driver
|
Co-driver
|
Team
|
Timing
|
|
1
|
T. Neuville
|
N. Gilsoul
|
Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC
|
3:22:53.4
|
|
2
|
S. Ogier
|
J. Ingrassia
|
Ford Fiesta WRC
|
+54.7
|
|
3
|
D. Sordo
|
M. Martí
|
Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC
|
+56.0
|
|
4
|
J. M. Latvala
|
M. Anttila
|
Toyota Yaris WRC
|
+1:09.6
|
|
5
|
C. Breen
|
S. Martin
|
Citroën C3 WRC
|
+1:09.7
|
|
6
|
H. Paddon
|
J. Kennard
|
Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC
|
+2:16.3
|
|
7
|
A. Mikkelsen
|
A. Jaeger
|
Škoda Fabia R5
|
+8:10.7
|
|
8
|
T. Suninen
|
M. Markkula
|
Ford Fiesta R5
|
+9:17.0
|
|
9
|
S. Sarrazin
|
J. J. Renucci
|
Škoda Fabia R5
|
+9:23.6
|
|
10
|
Y. Rossel
|
B. Fulcrand
|
Citroën DS3 R5
|
+12:57.1
|
2017 FIA World Rally Championship for Drivers’ Standings after Round 4
|
Pos
|
Driver
|
Points
|
|
1
|
S. Ogier
|
88
|
|
2
|
J.M Latvala
|
75
|
|
3
|
T. Neuville
|
54
|
|
4
|
O. Tanak
|
48
|
|
5
|
D. Sordo
|
47
|
|
6
|
C. Breen
|
33
|
|
7
|
K. Meeke
|
27
|
|
8
|
H. Paddon
|
25
|
|
9
|
E. Evans
|
20
|
|
10
|
A. Mikkelsen
|
12
|
|
11
|
S. Lefebvre
|
10
|
|
12
|
J. Hänninen
|
9
|
2017 FIA World Rally Championship for Manufacturers’ Standings after
round 4
|
Pos
|
Team
|
Points
|
|
1
|
M-Sport World Rally Team
|
129
|
|
2
|
Hyundai Motorsport
|
105
|
|
3
|
Toyota Gazoo Racing WRC
|
79
|
|
4
|
Citroën Total Abu Dhabi World Rally Team
|
71
|
Source: Red Bull
Content Pool / Hyundai Motorsport