Nieuwe Hyundai : indrukken

[Rallyloverke]

Mannekes, Loix gaat dit jaar nog i nde top 3 eindigen, he! :

Today, Hyundai launches its most formidable rally car yet. If the Accent WRC3 is as good as the team hopes, the Korean car maker will take a decisive leap from being a World Championship presence to a potential title contender.

Three of the new machines will take part in the Tour of Corsica, the season's first pure tarmac rally, driven by Freddy Loix, Armin Schwarz and Polish newcomer Tomasz Kuchar.

The photographs don't do the latest Accent justice, for although the bodywork changes are expected to bring a useful improvement in cooling, by far the most important changes are within the engine. In addition to the routine alterations to turbocharger and manifolds that most manufacturers introduce during the annual homologation of a new World Rally Car, Hyundai tuner Motor Sport Developments has re-designed most of the internals, notably the crankshaft, the connecting rods and the flywheel, saving 4.5 kilogrammes. Reducing friction is vital in the WR Car formula, because the mandatory 34-millimetre turbo restrictor limits top-end power and friction therefore becomes a much more severe handicap as revs increase. The saving is nevertheless a startling improvement. MSD believes that the 2002 engine will rev more freely and give a better spread of power. The stroke has been shortened as well, giving a bore and stroke of 85 x 88mm.

Some of the other changes are developments of new parts introduced at the beginning of the season as variant options, notably better brakes and Proflex dampers, which also reduce friction compared to those used last year.

"It's safe to say it's the best tarmac car we've had, but just how good, we'll have to wait," MSD chief David Whitehead stated. "According to the feedback we've had from drivers, it's quite positive: engine performance they can feel and the chassis is a lot better too. We're actually quite looking forward to a tarmac event, but I suspect it'll be Deutschland before we can talk about it being a refined package."

Further improvements are expected later in the season, notably a semi-automatic gearchange and an active rear differential. MSD is keen to avoid rushing new technology into action before it has been thoroughly tested - not a position it has always been free to take in the past - and the WRC3 has already had far more testing than either of its predecessors. The latest engine first ran before the end of the 2001 season.


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(bron : www.worldrallynews.info )