The staff had been but to announce its plans past Portugal for the third automotive since Craig Breen’s passing, till at this time’s announcement that Sordo will now add Sardinia (1-4 June) to his programme.
It’s unclear who will pilot the automotive within the remaining seven occasions on the calendar.
The South Korean squad will return to fielding three vehicles at subsequent week’s Rally Portugal, an occasion which Sordo had already been confirmed to contest earlier than the demise of team-mate Breen, whom he had been sharing the i20 N with this 12 months.
Hyundai fielded only two entries for full-time drivers Thierry Neuville and Esapekka Lappi eventually month’s spherical in Croatia. Both cars carried a special livery to honour the 33-year-old Breen, who lost his life in a testing crash in preparation for the asphalt occasion.
It’s extremely probably Sordo would have featured in Hyundai’s Sardinia plans regardless, given two of his three profession WRC wins have arrived on the Italian gravel levels in 2019 and 2020.
Sordo will now be a part of eight-time world rally champion and 2021 Sardinia winner Sebastien Ogier on the occasion following Toyota’s affirmation that the Frenchman, who’s contesting a partial marketing campaign, will probably be a part of its roster on the rally.
This 12 months would be the twentieth operating of the rally. This 12 months’s occasion embody a brand new mammoth 49.90km Monte Lerno stage to supply an additional problem.
Dani Sordo, Candido Carrera, Hyundai World Rally Crew Hyundai i20 N Rally1
Picture by: Romain Thuillier / Hyundai Motorsport
Hyundai has this week been conducting its pre-event take a look at for subsequent week’s spherical in Portugal, which marks the fifth spherical of the championship.
The gravel rally featured as a part of Sordo’s 2022 programme with the staff which resulted within the 40-year-old ending third behind eventual winner Kalle Rovanpera and his Toyota team-mate Elfyn Evans.
The 2023 championship is finely poised heading into Portugal with Evans and Ogier tied for the championship lead, with Rovanpera some extent additional again. M-Sport’s Ott Tanak is 4 factors adrift whereas Neuville is 11 factors in arrears in fifth.