Hyundai beefs up its WRC team

Hyundai revealed last year that they’re preparing to take on the World Rally Championship (WRC) from 2014 when a rally car based on the i20 will take to the world rally stage to cast some sport fairy dust on Hyundai’s showroom cars.

At that time we had little information about the team, but in January we learnt that Hyundai had appointed Michel Nandan to head up their WRC efforts, a good move as Nandon was the technical director for the Peugeot WRC team until 2005, so he knows his stuff.

Now we learn that Hyundai is beefing up its WRC team as it prepares for a full season of WRC in 2014.

Recent appointments at Hyundai Motorsport GmbH include Frenchman Bertrand Vallat – who heads up the design office – and fellow Frenchman Stephane Girad arrives as engine manager, bringing with him experience gained at Peugeot Sport, Maserati Corse, Subaru World Rally Team, Prodrive and Citroen Sport.

Alain Penasse starts as team manager later this month – he has previously been with Toyota Team Europe and Peugeot Sport – and Ernst Kopp arrives to head up the Workshop with Stefan Henrich arriving to run marketing and PR.

Team boss Michel Nandan said:

I’m now surrounded by the best people in the business and I’m confident we’ll be ready to meet our ambitious goal to be ready at the start of the 2014 FIA World Rally Championship. While we have a very busy year ahead of us, I believe that team-work together with shared commitment and passion for motorsport are the keys for success.

Looks like a strong team from Hyundai, giving them every chance to make the first full WRC season a success and drive Hyundai sales, particularly its i20 and ‘Sportier’ offerings, in the process.

By Cars UK