Thu 19 Sep 2024

Nothing guaranteed: Hyundai's Demaison warns of complacency

Hyundai technical director Francois-Xavier Demaison has marshalled caution ahead of next week’s Rally Chile Bio Bío (26 - 29 September).

While his team's i20 N Rally1 HYBRID goes into the final three rounds of this year’s FIA World Rally Championship with a 35-point lead in the manufacturers’ title race, the Frenchman believes there remains plenty to do as the Frankfurt-based squad searches its first world title in four years.

Hyundai's Belgian star Thierry Neuville, meanwhile, tops the drivers' series standings by 34 points from team-mate Ott Tänak as the season enters its final quarter.

“For the drivers’ championship there are still 90 points available through the rest of the year,” he said. “For the manufacturers it’s 55 points on each round. Nothing is done and these are three complicated and tricky rallies coming. Everything is still open for the championships.”

That said, Demaison was full of praise for the team’s second EKO Acropolis Rally Greece podium lock-out in three years.

“That was a fantastic result,” he said. “I’ve been to Greece, to the Acropolis, many times and I think I only one Greece once before, so an one-two-three twice in three years, as you can imagine, we are very happy with that. We had a plan in Greece and we followed it. Now we have to see what the rest of the season is bringing – we’re looking forward to Chile next week.”

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