The Hyundai Genuine Parts and Accessories sponsored i30 CRDi turbo-diesel has claimed victory in the battle of the P4-Class at the International Rally of Queensland.
The team put in an inspired drive, beating a high powered V8 Commodore to take out the P4-Class over the weekend. In addition to the ‘family car’ battle, the i30 CRDi also brought home trophies for 1st place in Showroom Class, Eco-Rally Challenge and topped it off with a highly respectable 2nd place in the 2WD Championship, finishing with outright 8th place at the ARC on the weekend.
With strong class competition, Team Hyundai Rallye took to the forests on Saturday morning with an increased sense of purpose and determination to push the i30 for extra speed. First day results were encouraging – achieving a new top speed of 155km/hr helping them secure a significant lead in the morning stages.
Driver Mick Gillett conceded the early stages were challenging for the larger vehicles. “Stage one was obviously tough for the larger cars,” he said. “The i30 is far more nimble in those conditions, and we were able to capitalise on that advantage and take nearly two minutes off the Commodore by the end of stage two. We pushed the i30, and it delivered.”
By the end of day one, the i30 CRDi had built up more than a five minute lead over other competitors in their class, but it wasn’t all easy going for Team Hyundai Rallye. “I think we hit every rock, hole and gutter today but the i30 certainly proved its strength and resilience,” said co-driver Harvey Smith. “We had no issues with the car at all, only some tyre damage on stage six as a result of a heavy impact with a large rock.”
On day two the i30 increased its lead over the Commodore to an outstanding ten minutes, and maintained an unassailable class lead in the endurance event. Once again, the Hyundai i30 was one of only 11 ARC cars to finish the gruelling 269km of competitive stages, showing its class and durability in the long-form of rallying.
“With three finishes in a row we’ve shown the Hyundai i30 turbo-diesel is ultra-reliable, and the team is looking forward to the Victorian round of the ARC in November. We really feel we are working well together in the car, gaining more speed with every competitive kilometre travelled, and the fantastic service crew make it all the more easy to concentrate on doing our job in the car.” said Gillett.
The final round of the Australian Rally Championship will be held on Saturday 13th November, in Drouin in the foothills of Mount Baw Baw part of the West Gippsland Neerim district of Victoria.
For more information about the event visit http://www.rallyvictoria.com.au