Hyundai Motorsport have been busy testing their new Hyundai i20 R5 rally car which is based on the new generation Hyundai i20 that saw it’s début in WRC spec at Rallye Monte-Carlo.

Kevin Abbring took control of the new i20 R5 for the test which took place at the Fontjoncouse test base in southern France.

“We are thrilled to have begun testing of Hyundai Motorsport’s new R5 rally car,” said Hyundai Motorsport Customer Project Manager Andrea Adamo. “This is the product of several months’ work by our team in Alzenau. Kevin carried out the initial test in Fontjoncouse last week and we have really hit the ground running.

“The first tests with the New Generation i20 R5 will be focused on reliability so we can resolve any teething problems as we develop a car that customers can enjoy driving without any compromise to performance. We are on target to deliver the first R5s around the end of summer. We are entering an important phase now, ramping up our testing programme and recruiting more staff to join our experienced team.

“The R5 is made for customers and although Hyundai Motorsport will not participate directly as a works team in any championship, we are focused on providing our clients with the best service and support. It’s an exciting period and we hope to see the car competing as early as the end of this year in regional and national Championships in the main European markets – and to see it more widely in 2017. We’re excited by this next phase of our programme.”

Once the testing period is complete the i20 R5 is expected to make its début in summer, offering customers the chance to contest national and regional rallies along with the WRC2 class which is currently dominated by the likes of the M-Sport Fiesta R5 and the Skoda Fabia R5.