New Hyundai R5 challenger to make public debut in ERC

ERC graduates Kevin Abbring and his co-driver Seb Marshall will drive the car, having been instrumental in the development work in their roles as Hyundai Motorsport test drivers. Abbring knows the Belgian asphalt classic well, with four previous starts including two in R5 machinery in the past two years.



Having tested the car on asphalt and gravel across Europe, Hyundai has prepared a new chassis to take part in Ypres. Using the lessons learnt from testing, the car will be very close in specification to that that customers will use when deliveries begin later in the year.



It will feature a new livery designed by a fan from New Zealand, whose creation was selected from competition entries.



Andrea Adamo, who manages Hyundai's Customer Racing department, said: "The Ypres Rally is a pivotal weekend in the New Generation i20 R5 project. The rally is the perfect place for the car to make its public debut. The ERC is a key championship for R5 teams, where we obviously hope our customers will be competing in future. It’s a big event in the championship, it’s a famous one with some great history in an area where people are very knowledgeable about rally."