Hyundai ready to jump back into rallying with i20 WRC

At virtually the same moment that it was revealed Hyundai was exiting all motorsports activities here in the States, the Korean automaker was on stage at the Paris Motor Show making a major commitment to one of the most exciting and costliest racing series the globe has to offer, the World Rally Championship. Showing this i20 WRC racecar mockup (note the lack of an interior), Hyundai announced it is poised to return to the gravel-spitting, sideways-sliding yumpfest in short order.

Return, you say? Yes even before its meteoric rise as an automaker, Hyundai was toiling away in the series' F2 class back back in the late 90s. The team then graduated to the premier series in 2000, campaigning an Accent hatchback until 2003, at which point it ceased motorsports activities.

Specs for the rallygoing i20 haven't been disclosed, but in order to meet regulations, this Hyundai will need to rely on a 1.6-liter engine, presumably turbocharged to around 300 horsepower. All-wheel drive and a sequential gearbox are givens as well.

Hyundai has not yet announced when the i20 WRC will compete, nor has the FIA governing body granted it official entry into the series, though one is surely coming.

After a few lean years in terms of manufacturer support, the WRC is poised for a bit of a rebirth, with new teams to be fielded from Mini with its Countryman racer and a Toyota entrant based on its Yaris subcompact.