Hyundai Motorsport signs a two-year contract with Ott Tanak
Ott Tanak to Hyundai Motorsport - The switch
The 2019 World Rally season has been quite the ride for Estonian rally driver Ott Tanak who is currently on top of the championship chart with 263 points. The 14-round championship has its last round, the Kennards Hire Rally Australia in exactly ten days’ time. This will be the last rally with the Toyota Gazoo Racing team for both Tanak and co-driver Martin Järveoja. For the 2020 season, Tanak and Järveoja join Thierry Neuville at Hyundai Motorsport, starting with Rallye Monte-Carlo in January.
As per Hyundai Motorsport’s announcement, four drivers are confirmed for three cars next season. Tanak and Neuville will drive one car each, while Sebastien Loeb and Dani Sordo will share the third Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC throughout the 2020 season. There are also discussions with Andreas Mikkelsen and Craig Breen regarding a possible WRC collaboration in 2020.
“I am really excited to join Hyundai Motorsport from the 2020 WRC season. The vision that Andrea has set out is very promising and matches my own ambitions for the future. It’s a big honour for me to have the opportunity to join the team at this exciting stage of our respective careers. I have big respect for what Hyundai has accomplished; we’ve been fighting closely against each other for a number of seasons. They have always had a competitive team and car, so now it will be interesting to see things from the other side. The driver line-up is good and I am looking forward to seeing what we can achieve together over the coming years.” said Ott Tanak
Team Director Andrea Adamo said: “Signing a two-year deal with Ott Tanak is a demonstration of Hyundai’s continued commitment and ambitions in the World Rally Championship. We are involved in a very close fight for the title this season, and bringing Ott and Martin into the team from 2020 will enable us to continue to be at the forefront for the coming years. He is an exceptional talent, as we have all seen, impressively quick and consistent on all terrains and he will be a real asset to Hyundai Motorsport. With his announcement, we have four crews confirmed for the 2020 season; Thierry and Ott will contest all 14 rounds on the calendar in their own Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC, with Dani and Sebastien sharing a third car. It is a potent and inspiring crew line-up, which will set a high benchmark to which the entire team will aspire. We also remain in conversation with Andreas and Craig to see how we might be able to collaborate in WRC next season.”
