Hyundai newcomer Adrien Fourmaux secured his first victory in preparation for the Rally Monte Carlo – beating Toyota’s Kalle Rovanperä.
Hyundai has ticked the first box of success for new signing Adrien Fourmaux. The Frenchman won his debut for the Koreans in a rally that serves as preparation for the 2025 World Rally Championship (WRC) opener. In his Hyundai debut, the 29-year-old even beat two-time world champion Kalle Rovanperä, who was competing for Toyota. Both were driving at the Rallye National Hivernal du Devoluy in France.
Fourmaux and Rovanperä were the only two drivers competing in Rally1 cars. The asphalt rally at La Joue du Loup covered around 130 kilometers and featured ten special stages. Fourmaux took the lead on the second special stage and never relinquished it. However, he only won four special stages, while Rovanperä topped the timesheets five times. Nevertheless, Fourmaux impressed with his consistency and won by 15.5 seconds.
Both Fourmaux and Rovanperä used the rally as preparation for the Rally Monte Carlo, which will open the 2025 WRC season from January 23 to 26, 2025. Hyundai and Toyota also had the opportunity to test the new Hankook tires and try out their cars, the i20 N Rally1 and the GR Yaris Rally1, without the electric motor, as it was decided not to use hybrid vehicles from the 2025 season onwards.
Fourmaux will drive the third Hyundai i20 in the 2025 WRC season as a full-time driver alongside world champion Thierry Neuville and top driver Ott Tänak. The Frenchman moved from M-Sport to the Koreans. In France, the Frenchman had to fight his way through the snow, which is considered a good indicator for Monte Carlo. M-Sport did not take part in the rally, but will certainly prepare intensively for the 2025 season opener.