Hyundai Motorsport's debut gravel test

Hyundai Motorsport continued to make strong progress on its development programme by conducting the first gravel tests with a new 2014-specification of the i20 WRC in July.

All three of the team's recently-signed development drivers, Juho Hanninen, Bryan Bouffier and Chris Atkinson, got behind the wheel of the i20 WRC as the team evaluated a range of new components in unique gravel conditions in preparation for its debut season in 2014.

Hyundai Motorsport Team Principal Michel Nandan commented, "We have had a very solid month of testing and learned a lot about the performance potential of the new Hyundai i20 WRC in a range of conditions.

"As with any inaugural testing, there have been some teething issues to overcome but this is precisely the purpose of testing and we have taken time to analyse and understand the problems. We have signed three very competent development drivers in Juho, Bryan and Chris, and the balance of the last month of testing has, for me, been positive," added Nandan.

The team has also been finessing its own operations at the tests, bonding as a team and establishing the test crew setup for the rest of the year's testing.