Hyundai Snatches Third In A Dusty Estonian Scrap Today
2026 rally estonia 05
Hyundai Motorsport left Rally Estonia with a grinning bruise, claiming third overall after a teeth-gritting battle on fast gravel. It was the teams second podium of the season and proof that when the roads get rough, the i20 N Rally1 can still bite back.
The rally served up the usual Estonian mix: blistering speed, airborne theatrics and then, just to keep everyone honest, a cheeky rain shower on the last day. Competitors tackled nearly 150km across nine stages on Saturday, then faced the longest test of the event, the 24.39km Kääriku stage, run twice on Sunday. Conditions flipped from dry dust to slippery gravel overnight and that shuffled the deck.
What decided the podium was a tiny margin and a bold first run. One Hyundai pairing went for broke on the opening pass of Kääriku, clawing precious seconds from their intra-team rival and then switching to a measured, conservative approach on the Power Stage to lock the result. Clean running and tyre management mattered more than heroics on the final pass.
The sister car put in a solid recovery after setup gremlins earlier in the event. Fixes on Saturday morning paid off, allowing a charge through the stages and a strong showing on the Power Stage. In the end the two Hyundais crossed the line separated by only a handful of seconds and head to the next gravel show tied on points for the championship fight.
Another Hyundai crew, contesting only their third event of the year and using this as a tune-up for a home rally coming up, brought their car home eighth and gathered plenty of useful setup and tyre data. No drama, no headlines, just mileage and useful learnings.
Team Takeaway
The team sporting director hailed the weekend as a positive step. All three cars finished, reliability was perfect and the team extracted steady improvements across the event. The message was clear: the package is fast on the slick, high-speed gravel and the aim is to carry that momentum into Finland.
Toyota took a convincing one-two at the finish, with Hyundai pocketing the remaining top positions to keep the manufacturers fight interesting. Next up is another high-speed gravel test at Rally Finland from July 30 to August 2, where the pace will be dialled up and the jumps will be bigger.
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.
