Hyundai Motorsport accepts FIA's and stewards' decision to exclude Thierry Neuville from Safari Rally Kenya following his illegal recce activities.
A person related to Neuville travelled with him in Kenya and drove throughout two stages without authorization with the view of informing the Belgian for the stage conditions. The purpose of this activity was to correct the pacenotes, when the real action would start from Friday to Sunday, and to have the advantage of knowing exactly what to expect during the rally week. The Kenyan people in charge noticed this person and reported the incident to FIA and the stewards which eventually found out that this person was related to Neuville and decided to disqualify him from Safari Rally.
The Hyundai driver was in third place overall after the end of Stage 6, but he had to stop 7.9 Km into SS6 as the front-left suspension was broken after a compression. The Alzenau-based team confirmed his restart on Saturday and managed to gain ten positions completing Safari Rally at eighth overall and scoring five points in Powerstage. However, the stewards and FIA summoned Neuville, Martijn Wydaeghe and Cyril Abiteboul at 18:30 local time on Sunday and concluded to their disqualification from the event.
"Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team acknowledges the decision of the stewards to disqualify car #11 (Thierry Neuville and Martijn Wydaeghe) from Safari Rally Kenya as a breach of article 35.4.2 – access of the stages by car", Hyundai's statement says.
"Despite the circumstances brought forward by the crew in relation to the uncertainty of road limits at this specific event, we understand and take note of the FIA’s position to take necessary steps to stop the customary practice of participants accessing the roads to enhance their knowledge.
"We will work with the FIA to continue to promote safety and equality of crews on the stages".
Photo Credits: Hyundai
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