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World Rally Championship returnee Teemu Suninen has said the opportunity to compete in a factory-backed car on his favourite surface is something that he has been working towards for a very long time.
Last month, Suninen was revealed as part of the Hyundai Motorsport Driver Development Programme, with appearances at this weekend’s Rally Estonia and August’s Rally Finland forming part of the deal.
It will be Suninen’s first-ever appearance in a Rally1 car since they first entered service last year and the young Finn’s first outing in the sport’s top tier since deputising for Ott Tanak at ACI Rally Monza at the end of the 2021 season.
On both rallies, Suninen will take the place of Dani Sordo who is stepping aside after making three consecutive appearances for the South Korean team in Portugal, Sardinia and Kenya respectively with Candido Carrera.
“I am really excited to get in the Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid, especially when it is one of my favourite rallies,” said Suninen, who got his first taste of the hybrid-powered machine on the Louna-Eesti Ralli earlier this month where he finished second overall.
“I have been dreaming of it for a long time and I have been working hard to get back to the top class, so it is great to be here.”
Having previously started in Estonia three times before – his most recent coming 12 months ago when he finished second in WRC2 at the wheel of a Hyundai i20 N Rally2 car – 29-year-old Suninen heads into the Tartu-based event with a decent understanding of what he can expect from its gravel roads.
“Normally Rally Estonia is one of the fastest rallies on the whole calendar and it’s like a sprint, so we have to drive flat out from start to finish,” he explained. “The surface is normally quite soft so the grip level is really high, especially on the second loop with some big ruts.
“My main goal is to bring some good manufacturer points, but I also need to show good pace, and if the feeling is good, then we will push for a strong result.”
Team Principal Cyril Abiteboul believes a podium is the very least the team must be aiming for following the disappointment of last month’s Safari Rally Kenya where lead driver Thierry Neuville was disqualified following a breach of reconnaissance rules and Esapekka Lappi’s charge for silverware was ended by recurring propshaft failures.
“Rally Estonia has historically provided us with good results, including a win here in 2020 [with Ott Tanak],” said Abiteboul. “Thierry and Teemu both know how to get on to the podium here, and Esapekka comes to Estonia on a run of good form, despite a disappointing end to his Safari Rally Kenya.
“We continue to work closely as a team to develop the performance of our Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid to maximise our points haul at every rally for the rest of the season. Following the weekend we had in Kenya, we hope that Estonia will allow us to come back fighting and that we can leave the rally with podium,” he added.
