We took our seats to the right of the young Corsican rallyman for a driving session on asphalt in the new Hyundai i20 N Rally2.
Pierre-Louis Loubet defends the colors of Hyundai in the world rally championship since 2020, the year of its accession to the premier category. The young Corsican, aged 24, drives the i20 Coupé WRC with the French 2C Competition team. Unfortunately, on October 5, he announced that he had been hit by a car, causing a broken hip and precipitating his forfeit on the Rally of Spain, which he was eager to compete in. Therefore, his best result of the season is a seventh place in Estonia. A modest record that does not reflect his real potential, he who had been sacred world champion in the WRC2 category in 2019. It was in Skoda Fabia R5, a class of vehicles passing the baton to the new Rally2.
=> Pierre-Louis Loubet – Hyundai: “Sébastien Ogier is the driver I admire the most”
Moreover, Hyundai recently approved its i20 N Rally2, whose development is being finalized, after its baptism in the world championship in Ypres (Belgium) in mid-August. This car is a little sister of the i20 Coupé WRC that Pierre-Louis Loubet has been used to driving for two years. It was at his wheel that the native of Bastia took part in a driving session organized in the French Ardennes, near Rethel. “The Rally2 is less brutal than a WRC in sensations, but it is a very powerful car for all that., with four-wheel drive and a 1.6 turbo unit. Even if it has 100 hp less and less aerodynamics, the time difference is not huge, of the order of a second to a second and a half per kilometer ”, he explains, before inviting us to his side for a six kilometers on asphalt.
6 km ride near Rethel
Obviously, when settling in the right seat, we expect to be less disheveled than during the codrive carried out two years earlier in the “big” i20 Coupé WRC, in the company of Sébastien Loeb (see Auto-Moto number 283). Indeed, the acceleration and braking of this Rally2 are less pronounced, knowing that the passage of the five gears is operated via a lever, while a WRC takes advantage of paddles on the steering wheel to send the six gears of a shorter box. , guarantee of a better driving force. Nevertheless, the pleasant surprise of this ride comes from the profile of this asphalt section, marked out at the start of the Rallye des Ardennes. This bitumen ribbon relatively narrow, characteristic confirmed by our pilot of the day, makes the experience more interesting than expected, in view of its character both sinuous and quite rhythmic. Not to mention that because of the humidity of the grass at the side of the road, it is better not to go out to sea.
Comparison between Rally2 and WRC
As you approach blind turns, Yves Loubet’s son (European rally champion 1989) does not show any hesitation when entering his vehicle in the curve, foot screwed on the right pedal. Throughout this hilly course, dotted with compressions and steep turns, it shows us its ability to anticipate the freedoms taken by the rear axle. “On the changes of direction, a WRC tends to evolve on rails, while this one moves quite a bit, since it generates less downforce ”, Pierre-Louis Loubet analysis. Unsurprisingly, this car cannot compete with the velocity of a WRC when passing through fast curves, but it shows great liveliness in the more twisty portions, echoing the efficiency of the chassis of its civilized version, the i20 N series. In 2022, the Hyundai i20 N Rally2 should approach the performance of the premier class cars, the latter inheriting a new hybrid system. “With the new regulations, the WRC chassis will be a step below the current ones, confirms the Corsican driver. A priori, the overweight (+150 kg) and reduced aero downforce will not be fully compensated by the excess power (+120 hp). But engineers are always finding tricks and in a year or two it should go as fast as it is today. ”
Photos : Hyundai
Plus d’infos rallye WRC :
Rally Monza WRC 2021: classification and live information + TV program
WRC 2022 calendar: rally dates and times
Rally WRC 2021: calendar, standings, drivers, teams
We took our seats to the right of the young Corsican rallyman for a driving session on asphalt in the new Hyundai i20 N Rally2.
Pierre-Louis Loubet defends the colors of Hyundai in the world rally championship since 2020, the year of its accession to the premier category. The young Corsican, aged 24, drives the i20 Coupé WRC with the French 2C Competition team. Unfortunately, on October 5, he announced that he had been hit by a car, causing a broken hip and precipitating his forfeit on the Rally of Spain, which he was eager to compete in. Therefore, his best result of the season is a seventh place in Estonia. A modest record that does not reflect his real potential, he who had been sacred world champion in the WRC2 category in 2019. It was in Skoda Fabia R5, a class of vehicles passing the baton to the new Rally2.
=> Pierre-Louis Loubet – Hyundai: “Sébastien Ogier is the driver I admire the most”
Moreover, Hyundai recently approved its i20 N Rally2, whose development is being finalized, after its baptism in the world championship in Ypres (Belgium) in mid-August. This car is a little sister of the i20 Coupé WRC that Pierre-Louis Loubet has been used to driving for two years. It was at his wheel that the native of Bastia took part in a driving session organized in the French Ardennes, near Rethel. “The Rally2 is less brutal than a WRC in sensations, but it is a very powerful car for all that., with four-wheel drive and a 1.6 turbo unit. Even if it has 100 hp less and less aerodynamics, the time difference is not huge, of the order of a second to a second and a half per kilometer ”, he explains, before inviting us to his side for a six kilometers on asphalt.
6 km ride near Rethel
Obviously, when settling in the right seat, we expect to be less disheveled than during the codrive carried out two years earlier in the “big” i20 Coupé WRC, in the company of Sébastien Loeb (see Auto-Moto number 283). Indeed, the acceleration and braking of this Rally2 are less pronounced, knowing that the passage of the five gears is operated via a lever, while a WRC takes advantage of paddles on the steering wheel to send the six gears of a shorter box. , guarantee of a better driving force. Nevertheless, the pleasant surprise of this ride comes from the profile of this asphalt section, marked out at the start of the Rallye des Ardennes. This bitumen ribbon relatively narrow, characteristic confirmed by our pilot of the day, makes the experience more interesting than expected, in view of its character both sinuous and quite rhythmic. Not to mention that because of the humidity of the grass at the side of the road, it is better not to go out to sea.
Comparison between Rally2 and WRC
As you approach blind turns, Yves Loubet’s son (European rally champion 1989) does not show any hesitation when entering his vehicle in the curve, foot screwed on the right pedal. Throughout this hilly course, dotted with compressions and steep turns, it shows us its ability to anticipate the freedoms taken by the rear axle. “On the changes of direction, a WRC tends to evolve on rails, while this one moves quite a bit, since it generates less downforce ”, Pierre-Louis Loubet analysis. Unsurprisingly, this car cannot compete with the velocity of a WRC when passing through fast curves, but it shows great liveliness in the more twisty portions, echoing the efficiency of the chassis of its civilized version, the i20 N series. In 2022, the Hyundai i20 N Rally2 should approach the performance of the premier class cars, the latter inheriting a new hybrid system. “With the new regulations, the WRC chassis will be a step below the current ones, confirms the Corsican driver. A priori, the overweight (+150 kg) and reduced aero downforce will not be fully compensated by the excess power (+120 hp). But engineers are always finding tricks and in a year or two it should go as fast as it is today. ”
Photos : Hyundai
Plus d’infos rallye WRC :
Rally Monza WRC 2021: classification and live information + TV program
WRC 2022 calendar: rally dates and times
Rally WRC 2021: calendar, standings, drivers, teams
