Hyundai has introduced that Ott Tanak will not rating producer factors for the workforce this 12 months in a transfer that seems set to spice up his World Rally Championship title hopes.
Tanak’s title bid was dealt a blow in Chile earlier this month when he suffered an engine failure whereas main the rally. After becoming a spare engine, Tanak reported that it was additionally down on energy and overheating, revealing that the unit developed an issue when it was beforehand utilized in February’s Rally Sweden.
Underneath the WRC sporting laws, producer entries are solely allotted two engines per automobile title to finish the season. Any additional engines introduced into the pool will come at the price of a five-minute penalty to be taken on the subsequent rally.
As engines are allotted to chassis names slightly than drivers, Hyundai did have the choice to rotate its drivers by its three automobiles, which may have afforded Tanak the chance to utilise a brisker engine. It might have meant that one driver would have incurred a five-minute penalty.
Nonetheless, Hyundai has taken a unique strategy nominating solely Thierry Neuville and Adrien Fourmaux as producer factors scorers for the ultimate three rallies starting with subsequent month’s Central European Rally earlier than visits to Japan and Saudi Arabia. Hyundai is already 125 factors behind rivals Toyota within the constructors’ title race.
Ott Tanak, Martin Jarveoja, Hyundai World Rally Crew Hyundai i20 N Rally1
Picture by: McKlein / Motorsport Photographs
“For the ultimate three rounds of the 2025 FIA World Rally Championship season, Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Crew will solely nominate Thierry Neuville and Adrien Fourmaux for producers’ factors,” learn an announcement from Hyundai.
“This strategic resolution permits Ott Tanak and Martin Jarveoja to compete with out producer nomination and by taking full benefit of the sporting laws, the workforce is making certain Tanak and Jarveoja are within the strongest potential place to proceed their combat for the drivers’ and co-drivers’ titles.”
It might seem that this name implies that the sporting laws relating to engines will not apply to Tanak, who isn’t deemed a producer entry. In concept he may take an additional engine with out incurring a penalty at CER.
Tanak is Hyundai’s finest probability at securing a title this 12 months, though the 2019 world champion is 43 factors behind championship chief Toyota’s Sebastien Ogier.
