HYUNDAI ACCENT WRC FLIES ON DEBUT

Hyundai is celebrating a debut double finish for its new Accent four-wheel drive World Rally Car. Drivers Kenneth Eriksson and Alister McRae finished 13th and 14th respectively on the Rally of Sweden which ended Sunday (13 February).

McRae described the result as ‘very encouraging’ for the team’s prospects in the World Rally Championship. He said: 'The whole car feels soundly engineered and pretty well together considering it is fresh out of the box. It's all looking good for the future.'

Both drivers had to contend with the inevitable teething troubles which accompany any new car competing for the first time. Eriksson lost time with a turbo failure and gear selection problems, while McRae was unhappy with his handling early on, and also suffered a propshaft vibration and oil supply problems.

But these were soon ironed out and the Accents were then frequently among the fastest cars through the snow-covered special stages. McRae said: 'Our times were really pleasing. Kenneth was setting times among the top six or eight and I was only a few seconds behind him.

'We know we have a mountain to climb to get up there with the top guys, but for a new car from a new team with a new manufacturer at this level of the sport, it's a great start.'

Hyundai is contesting 12 of the 14 rounds which make up this year’s World Rally Championship. The team's next outing will be on the Rally of Portugal in mid-March.