Kiwi rally driver and Asia-Pacific Rally Championship
(APRC) competitor Mike Young headed to Japan last
month with co-driver Malcolm Read to compete in the
Japanese Super Rally Series with the Cusco TRD Yaris.
A four-round series that started with the Snow Rally
in Tsumagoi and finishes next month with APRC Rally
Hokkaido, the Young/Read pairing campaigned the
Yokote Rally (round three), which sees temperatures often
reaching more than 30°C. These were conditions that
they’re used to seeing in Malaysia, testing fitness and
endurance to the maximum.
“After we completed the recce, I was quietly
confident that this was going to be a great gravel rally.
The stages were typically twisty and mountainous. Often
stages started at the bottom of a mountain and we had
to go up and over to the finish. Luckily, the surface had a
nice hard base, which was strange for Japan as usually
the surface is very soft,” explained Young.
“At the start line, the clutch completely went ... we
had to complete the remaining stages of day one without
it, [but] still managed to set the fastest time on each stage.
With our clutch fully functional [on] day two, we won every
stage and extended our lead to over three minutes.”
The pair went on to win the rally — the first victory
for the Cusco TRD Yaris car — and, to celebrate the win
afterwards, the team headed to Cusco’s headquarters for
three days of testing in the new Cusco TRD Toyota C-HR
rally car. “It was an important test with a big support team
on hand including Cusco engineers and mechanics,
engine technicians from TRD, and tyre technicians from
Dunlop. Straight away, I had a good feeling in the new
car; it was easy to drive and very stable. All the hard work
developing and learning from the Yaris in the last year has
paid off,” Young said.
Young and Read will compete at APRC Rally
Hokkaido, 20–22 September, marking Young’s ninth entry
into the rally.As the worldwide road-going fleet sees more
and more electric vehicle (EV) technology
introduced, and the performance that can be
expected from these clean, green options only
increases, it has only been a matter of time
before the phenomenon began finding its way
into motorsports.
Hyundai Motorsport has announced that
work has already begun on an electric race
car, heralding a new era of motorsport for the
company that has become well established in
rallying and circuit racing since its inception in- The multiple rally–winning WRC team, now
in its sixth season, is currently leading a closely
fought Manufacturers’ Championship, though it
has yet to confirm if rallying is the intention for
this new electric-powered race car.
“A new era is dawning at Hyundai
Motorsport. It promises to be a new chapter
for our company, a natural extension to our
motorsport activities, one that links closely to
the current trends and innovations in the wider
automotive industry. There’s not much longer to
wait,” stated team director Andrea Adamo.
The car has been designed and built at the
company’s headquarters in Alzenau, Germany,
and will break cover for the first time on the
media day of the International Motor Show (IAA)
in September.
HYUNDAI
GOES
ELECTRIC