Customer racing cars are fast becoming big business
for automakers around the world. But Hyundai, for one, isn’t satisfied
developing and releasing a competition vehicle and leaving it to its client
teams to make the best of it.
The Korean automaker has announced a series of
revision to its i20 R5 rally car for the 2018 season ahead, promising “a more
powerful, responsive car this season, thanks to the continued work of the
engineers within the team’s Customer Racing department.” The focus of the
continued development is on the 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine, which now
boasts variable timing, improved engine mapping, and better throttle response.
But that’s not all.
Along with the engine upgrades, Hyundai’s motorsport
department says it has improved the chassis for better handling, with new
dampers for both tarmac and gravel surfaces. There’s a wider range of
differential mapping as well, available to teams buying the updated car as well
as those upgrading their existing ones.
The i20 R5 faces stiff competition from similarly
prepared versions of the Ford Fiesta, Citroën C3, Peugeot 208, Volkswagen Polo
GTI, and Skoda Fabia. R5 rally cars are eligible for a wide array of rally
championships, including the WRC2 class and numerous national and regional
series.
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