Thierry Neuville will spearhead Hyundai's World Rally Championship charge after signing a multi-year deal with the Korean manufacturer.Neuville has been the surprise of 2013 so far, comfortably outpacing team mates Evgeny Novikov and Mads Ostberg. With six podium finishes out of 12 so far, the Belgian goes into the final round of the season a career best second in the standings.
Hyundai team principle Michel Nandan remarked on this by saying: "Thierry is having a fantastic 2013 season and is proving himself to be one of the most exciting young drivers in WRC."
He went on to add: "We both share similar values and objectives to win the championship in the long term, so we are proud to have Thierry in the team and as an ambassador for the Hyundai Motorsport brand."
Neuville was equally excited about joining the returning marque: "I believe Hyundai Motorsport is the perfect fit for me because it is a young, emerging and ambitious manufacturer team with long-term objectives for championship success and I have long held aspirations of driving for a manufacturer team," he said. "I was impressed with the team's facility, their approach to the rally program and their clear potential.
Neuville becomes the first offically confirmed driver for the team that last competed in the WRC in 2013. The i20 WRC which the team will campaign next season has already been tested by Juho Hanninen, Bryan Bouffier and Chris Atkinson although none of these have been announced as full time drivers for the upcoming season.Images: Red Bull, WRC
No comments:
Post a Comment