Rallye Deutschland rocked

Hyundai Motorsport had its sights set on victory in Rallye Deutschland, as the WRC returns to tarmac this weekend for the first time since April's Tour de Corse, where the team scored the first of its three wins of the 2017 season to date.

The German round of the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC), which ­finished on Sunday, 20 August, was the tenth event of the season and a home rally for Hyundai Motorsport, whose headquarters in Alzenau is about two hours from the service park.



Leading the way

Rallye Deutschland, the scene of its first WRC victory in 2014, has always been a successful event for Hyundai Motorsport. Thierry Neuville and Dani Sordo had two podiums a piece at the event: a 1-2 in 2014, led by Neuville, was ­followed last season with a 2-3, headed by Sordo.

The 2017 edition will have extra poignancy for Hyundai Motorsport with Neuville leading the Drivers' Championship on 160 points, equal with the reigning champion, Se´bastien Ogier.

All three crews – Neuville and Nicolas Gilsoul; Sordo and Marc Martí; and Hayden Paddon and Seb Marshall – would like to bounce back after a difficult Rally Finland and reassert the team's championship credentials.

Return of tarmac

Rallye Deutschland joined the WRC in 2002 after being part of the European Championship since 1982. Although there are many new elements to this year's event, it retains its unique combination of tarmac stages – from twisty vineyards to the multi-surface Baumholder military roads, including the dreaded concrete Hinkelstein boulders, to country roads.

The service park has moved from its Trier location to Bostalsee, with Thursday's ceremonial start and opening Super Special Stage being held in Saarbrücken. Rallye Deutschland, with 309,17 km of special stages, is one of the shortest rallies on the calendar, but run over 21 stages there are plenty of challenges and demands for crews to negotiate.

To prepare for the rally, all crews have tested the Hyundai i20 Coupé WRC on tarmac with car settings varying significantly from the recent run of gravel rallies. Two days of running at Baumholder in July were followed by four days in the vineyards at the start of August.

Team principal Michel Nandan said: “Rallye Deutschland is one of the highlights of the season for Hyundai Motorsport. It is our home event, and an opportunity for us to bring the WRC action closer to everyone who works so hard in the Alzenau factory.

“We had a tough weekend in Finland, but we are determined to return to form in Germany, where we scored our first victory in 2014 and a double podium last year. We don't automatically assume we will be able to repeat that sort of performance – especially with the competition in this year's championship – but that's ­certainly our aim. With Thierry leading the Drivers' Championship, we are all motivated to secure a strong ­combined team result.”

Rallye Deutschland at a glance

The second tarmac rally of the season is run over 21 stages and a total competitive distance of 309,17 km.

The first complete day takes in narrow, hairpin bend filled vineyard roads overlooking the Mosel. For 2017, three runs of a new super special will be held at Wadern-Weiskirchen.

Saturday moved onto the military Baumholder roads for the Panzerplatte tests, with mixed tarmac surface and the traditional, unforgiving Hinkelstein rocks lining the stages.

Sunday had a new-look itinerary with stages held on country roads near the French and Luxembourg border, as well as stages close to the Bostalsee service park, including the new St. Wendeler Land Power Stage. - QuickPic