2026 rally islas canarias 02
Hyundai Salvages Points At Gruelling Gran Canaria Tarmac
Hyundai Motorsport arrived on Gran Canaria expecting a stern test and left with a heap of hard-won lessons and a tidy handful of points. The three i20 N Rally1s survived the high-speed tarmac grinder to claim fifth, sixth and seventh overall after an event that was more tug-of-war with setup than a grandstand sprint.
The island’s narrow, fast roads exposed every quirk in the cars and the crews. Friday’s opening loop was a setup acid test and most of the weekend turned into a search for balance rather than outright pace. Still, all three cars reached the finish without the sort of drama that torpedoes a weekend — no rollovers, no spectacular retirements, just the slow, grinding reality of corners lost to compromise.
Highest Placed Hyundai
The fastest Hyundai on the road for much of the rally was the French crew, who battled a tricky balance at the start then found more rhythm as the stages unfolded. They set a few top five stage times, coped with a wet final morning, and made a mixed tyre plan of hard and soft compounds work well enough to secure fifth overall once a rival retired late in the day. A jump-start penalty left a sour note, but the result was salvageable.
The Belgian pairing suffered the worst handling headaches of the trio, playing damage limitation for most of Friday and Saturday. Grip swung wildly across the stages and they spent the weekend swapping setups in search of stability. A measured recovery on day two and a proper push in the Power Stage nabbed a consolation point, proof that when they could commit, the pace was there.
The home entry, back in the top class after nearly two years away, made a promising start as the fastest Hyundai early on before slipping down the order. A heart-stopping clip of a barrier and a slow puncture later in the event blunted their attack, but a composed finish on the final tests secured seventh place on home turf.
Team Takeaway
Team management was refreshingly blunt: this was not a weekend for headline pace but for damage control and data collection. The priorities were simple – minimise mistakes, test setups, and be ready to pounce when rivals faltered. With Portugal next on the calendar and gravel back in play, the goal is to turn the hard work from Gran Canaria into better results on looser surfaces.
After two tarmac rounds the WRC heads back to gravel for Rally de Portugal on the weekend of 7-10 May. Hyundai sits second in the manufacturers standings, a reminder that consistency still counts even when outright speed is shy.
Zachary Skinner is the editor of TechDrivePlay.com, where tech, cars and adventure share the fast lane.
A former snowboarding pro and programmer, he brings both creative flair and technical know-how to his reviews. From high-performance cars to clever gadgets, he explores how innovation shapes the way we move, connect and live.
