DAVID EVANS
“Hyundai has some questions to answer”
H
ave you ever had the feeling your boss thinks you might have a moment or two to spare? Andrea Adamo could be forgiven for just such thoughts. Adamo’s the cheerful Italian chap in charge of Hyundai’s customer racing department.
If you fancy an i20 R5 car or want to go racing in an i30 N TCR, then he’s the man on the other end of the telephone. If his line’s a bit busy over the next couple of weeks, it’s because he’s been given an extra duty or two. Like running the Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team.
The communication of Adamo’s new role as team director came with the line: “… heading up all WRC activities in addition to his Customer Racing duties.”
So, either Hyundai expect something of a downturn in sales, or running a World Rally Championship programme’s not quite the involved process it was thought to be.
Either way, he’s going in at the deep end, managing the squad’s Monte Carlo effort. The French Alps opener has never been kind to the South Korean firm – and, just when Andrea didn’t need any additional pressure in the principality, he’s got Sebastien Loeb landing in his team.
Nice problem to have though: a nine-time champion flying back from South America with the sole purpose of pleasing you on his first time driving one of your cars with numbers on the doors.
Is it a poisoned chalice? Absolutely not. Hyundai is a well budgeted, well-resourced team which has finished second in the manufacturers’ championship for the last three years and won 10 of the 65 WRC rounds it has started with the various incarnations of i20.
Replacing Michel Nandan with our busy-andsoon-to-be-busier-friend Andrea would indicate a management problem. I like Nandan, but it’s hard to argue in favour of keeping him when Tommi Makinen and Toyota came in and stole Hyundai’s thunder in year two of the Yaris WRC.
And then there’s the continued internal strife in Alzenau, where the cars are run from. In his first full season with the squad, Thierry Neuville fell out with the team in spectacular style. Admittedly, the Nandan-alain Penasse axis brought the Belgian back into line. But the management of Andreas Mikkelsen’s arrival as the chosen one, casting onetime chosen one Hayden Paddon into the shadows, while bit-player Dani Sordo stormed the main stage only to cast Mikkelsen into the shadows was far from ideal. And now Loeb’s about to land (having cast Paddon from the spotlight to the shadows and ultimately exited him stage left) to further complicate an already overly convoluted structure.
There’s potential for Hyundai success this year. But there are also question marks which remain. It will be fascinating to see if Adamo can untangle this one.
If it’s more WRC insight you’re after, there’s only one place for you to be this Saturday. Get to Autosport International and watch the official launch of the WRC. Everybody who’s anybody is going to be talking about the season ahead.
And, if his phone stops ringing long enough, we’ll even get a word with Andrea as well…
The Cambrian Rally has secured a city centre service area and the organiser is hoping to create a atmosphere similar to that of the Belgium-based Ypres Rally with night stages also included in the itinerary.
This year’s Cambrian – based, as usual, in Llandudno, on February 16 – hosts the British Rally Championship for the first time alongside the BTRDA and Welsh Rally Championship, acting as the first round of each series.
Llandudno has already played host to closed-roads for motorsport having been the venue for a live stage on Wales Rally GB in October 2018.
While no live closed-road stage action will take place on the North Wales Car Club-run event, the idea is to close the town in order to take rallying closer to spectators and the general public.
“We’re trying to create an atmosphere and bring everyone together,” said Cambrian clerk of the course Alyn Edwards, father of reigning BRC and BTRDA champion Matt.
“The goal is to make it like Ypres: that’s what we’re trying to achieve. It’s been well received and the council and local businesses are in support of it as it should bring more people to the area.
“It’s a challenge for the [organising] team to get something quite unique like this together. But the club is really looking forward to it. It’s going to be really good for the sport as well.”
The event is sponsored by Visit Conwy, and Conwy County Borough Council and the town council have been key to securing the town centre service area.
“We’re delighted to support the Cambrian Rally again this year. It’s an event that closely fits the aims of our events strategy by extending the winter tourism offer,” said Councillor Louise Emery, Conwy County Borough Council’s Cabinet Member for Economic Development.
“Being the first round of the British Rally Championship will bring the event and the county extra profile nationally, and provide a boost to the local economy during a quiet time of the year.”
The local council will be providing entertainment on the day, with the cars due to leave Llandudno at 0800hrs and service around noon. They will then return just after 1500hrs, where the national and BTRDA runners will finish before the BRC entrants do three night stages to conclude the rally, with a ceremonial finish at 1900hrs.
“Instead of hiding our sport away, we should be showing it off,” said BRC championship manager Iain Campbell. “It’s great to see the ambition that the North Wales Car Club has and that Conwy Council has in creating an event that’s not just a rally. They want to take everything into the centre of Llandudno. It’s something I think we should be doing anyway.”
The event has decided to run BTRDA 1400s and historics first on the road, which should help the transition of the event which has always been predominantly BTRDA and Welsh Championship dominated.
“Alyn was brilliant on that [the seeding], the 1400s go first and the Category 1 and Category 2 historics at the front too,” said the BTRDA’S Neil Cross.
“The Gold Star frontrunners will mix it with the BRC boys as well.
“Our 1400s – who we are really trying to draw back – they’re going to be happy they can attack the stages in prime condition.
“We know the quality of the stages will be there as Rally4wales are working up there. I can see it being a much better event for everybody.”
Andy Dawson’s eponymous outfit known for running cars for the likes of Ari Vatanen and Stig Blomqvist will return to give technical assistance to Tom Delaney and the SVP Motorsport operation this year.
Ex-works driver and regular international rally winner Dawson competed successfully in the 1970s and ’80s before running cars for some of the most infamous names in rallying, under the Dawson Auto Developments banner.
Delaney’s dad Dominic, head of SVP, worked for Dawson in the past, and the trio have united to optimise the Mitsubishi Lancer E6 Tom Delaney will drive in the BTRDA this year.
“Dominic used to work for me many years ago and we stayed in touch, I went out on last year’s Nicky Grist stages with them to lend a hand and was immediately impressed with Tom,” said Dawson. “He was driving a car that was new to him, clearly it was not right with some ‘issues’ yet he was still in the top 20 overall. He was extremely professional with feedback on the car as well as his obvious natural speed.”
SVP is also developing a Mini for Delaney to use on Motorsport News Circuit Rally rounds, an R56 Cooper S. Tom has driven a similar car on sprint events.