Hyundai WRT

[GravelBen]

Garage is empty on his instagram story so something new is going on

Even before the WRC team decision he said he had a few other projects happening this year too - while he wasn't planning to contest NZRC (nothing left to prove, just the enjoyment of driving the roads), I think his NZ team are developing a second Hyundai AP4 car.

He has unfinished business with the Ashley Forest Rallysprint (a popular NZ event) after mechanical failures previous years, maybe he is building something mental to smash the record there.

Its possible the empty garage means bigger changes though.

[Zeakiwi]

Paddon Rally sport was shifting from the Auckland base to a bigger facility in Wanaka (potentially the Cockermouth (M-Sport) of NZ?)
Paddon Rallysport - winmax brakes, italian shock absorber etc dealer for nz.

[Zeakiwi]

Paddon Rally sport was shifting from the Auckland base to a bigger facility in Wanaka (potentially the Cockermouth (M-Sport) of NZ?)
Paddon Rallysport - winmax brakes, italian shock absorber etc dealer for nz.
https://www.facebook.com/paddonrallysport/

[GravelBen]

Ah yes I forgot about that - new workshop is in Cromwell isn't it? Much cheaper land than Wanaka and not far away. Maybe even at Highlands might make sense.

[dimviii]

The masterful move to seize the services of Sebastien Loeb brings collateral damage. It has been the bombing of the transfer market and, without a doubt, a success for the Hyundai team, but now it is time to recompose the organization chart that was already established. Having all the square logistics, have happened to find a kind of 'tetris' difficult to solve.

The first problem has been to fit the formation for the inaugural event of the season, the Monte Carlo Rally. With the arrival of Loeb the logical thing would have been to sacrifice Andreas Mikkelsen, with a palmarés much poorer than that of Dani Sordo in the Principality. But the Norwegian has enforced his contract, it is even speculated that by throwing his hands on his lawyers, with what Spanish is left out.

And the problem is more expensive to the second appointment, Sweden. To this day there is no driver for the third i20 WRC, since Loeb and Sordo, a priori, do not want to run in the snow, and Hayden Paddon, who was the wild card, has rejected the possibility. If they do not change their minds, Loeb or Sordo, the other possible option is to take hold of the 'junior' driver of the team, the Finn Jari Huttunen.

But the problems do not end there. Loeb wants to run in several of the tests that were originally assigned to Sordo, such as the rallies in France, Germany, Chile or Spain. If Mikkelsen does not give up his pretensions to make the whole championship by enforcing his contract, the Spanish program will be very compromised. A pity, because until the arrival of the French star he had secured 10 participations.
And, going further, imagine that Loeb wins in Monte Carlo and decides to go also to Sweden. If the leader of the Nordic event were to leave, he could change his initial plans to do only six rallies, and consider fighting for a tenth world title running all the tests. Then the task would be total for Sordo, to which the arrival of his friend of so many years ago is complicating life very much.

https://as.com/motor/2018/12/15/mas_...o_rsoc=comp_tw

[kiil]

Well, Rally Sweden entries closes one week before Monte, so a potential Sweden entry will not be decided by a Monte win.

[Tarmop]

Rally Sweden has tweeted already, that Loeb will drive there?

[dimviii]

some well known twitters have confirmed
https://twitter.com/F_Gustavsson/sta...07349210304512

http://planetemarcus.com/sebastien-l...undai-en-2019/

[Andre Oliveira]

If Andreas did that... 2019 is last season on Hyundai for sure.

[EstWRC]

if he keeps performing like he did in 2018 then it will be his last season in wrc anyway