The Hyundai i20 is heading to the FIA World
Rallycross Championship. Only it’s not Hyundai that’s taking it there. Instead
the i20 has been adapted to rallycross spec by GRX TANECO – the team run by
two-time world rally champion Marcus Grönholm.
The pair of new i20 supercars are based on the
platform that Hyundai ran in the 2016 WRC. FIA WRX Supercars pack 2.0-liter turbocharged
engines, sending 600 horsepower to all four wheels to deliver 0-60 times of 1.9
seconds.
Short of full factory support, the partnership stems
from Grönholm’s personal relationship with Hyundai rally team principal Michel
Nandan. “We don’t have any manufacturer backing like some of the other teams in
World Rallycross,” said Grönholm, “but we have a lot of information from when
we bought the cars from Hyundai.” Reached for comment, Hyundai’s motorsport
department confirmed that “this is a private project with no manufacturer
involvement.”
The i20s will replace the Ford Fiestas that GRX has
run until now. To drive the new cars, the team has lined up Timur Timerzyanov –
a proven two-time European Rallycross Champion – alongside Marcus’
up-and-coming son Niclas.
The 2018 season kicks off in Barcelona next month.
GRX and its new Hyundais will face stiff competition from proven talents like
Mattias Ekström in the Audi S1, Sebastien Loeb in the Peugeot 208, Petter
Solberg in the VW Polo, and Guerlain Chicherit in the Renault Megane. With
Grönholm switching and Ken Block dropping out, though, it doesn’t look like
we’ll be seeing any Fords on the grid this year.
