Hyundai buoyed by latest tests of 2014 World Rally Car

The i20 WRC, which makes its competitive debut in January next year, is still early in its development programme, but the car that Juho Hanninen drove for five days in Finland last week is the closest yet to the final 2014 specification.

The car ran with revised aerodynamics, which worked well over the jumps south of Jamsa.

The running in Finland came soon after Bryan Bouffier had given the i20 its first significant run on asphalt, when he completed a five-day test in the Vosges region of France.

Asked for his thoughts following the two tests, team principal Michel Nandan said: "I think we can be quite OK now. We completed good mileage with no major issues, and obtained valuable feedback from both Bryan and Juho.

"This will allow us to concentrate next on fine-tuning the individual components. Overall, it was a very positive Tarmac debut."

Both drivers were impressed with what they found from the car, reporting that the stability from the chassis and the way the suspension is working was very good.

One of the issues Hyundai is facing is finding more power from its 1600cc turbocharged engine.

"We know we need more power," said Nandan. "We could see this from the test in Finland, but we are at the beginning [of the development process].

"We are working on engine mapping all of the time and with more testing and development this month, we expect to see the next evolution giving more power at the end of September."

Hyundai's next test next week will take place in the team's home country of Germany.