Pepe López wraps up Spanish title after excellent season with the i20 N Rally2 18.12.2022: • Hyundai España-supported i20 N Rally2 crew Pepe López and Borja Rozada officially clinched the Spanish Superchampionship crown at Rallyshow Madrid to complete 2022

•    Hyundai España-supported i20 N Rally2 crew Pepe López and Borja Rozada officially clinched the Spanish Superchampionship crown at Rallyshow Madrid to complete 2022

•    The pairing were victorious three times during the season and won at least one stage on every event during the campaign


•    i20 N Rally2 customers scored a total of eight podiums during the competitive rounds, helping Hyundai to the series’ manufacturers’ crown.
 


Hyundai España-supported driver Pepe López has confirmed his victory in the Spanish Superchampionship following the Rallyshow Madrid event at the Jarama Circuit.
 


The weekend marked the official end to the 2022 national season and though no points were scored from the contest, participation was necessary to secure a place in the series’ official standings for the year. Though the stakes for victory were low Hyundai Motorsport customers were still at their best.



After setting the third best time in the morning’s qualifying on the mixed tarmac and gravel stage Iván Ares made his way through the knockout part of the event, before winning both heats of the final to claim victory.
 


In his first campaign as a Hyundai Motorsport customer López was a standout performer in the early rounds as he immediately got the best of the i20 N Rally2 in his first outings with the car, starting the best time on the very first stage of the year.



Back-to-back wins followed a third place on the opening rally of the season. The pair of victories perfectly showcased the all-round strength of the driver, co-driver Borja Rozada and their Teo Martín Motorsport-prepared machine, which combined to propel them to the title.
 


After leading a Hyundai 1-2 ahead of Ares on the tarmac tests of Rallye Sierra Morena they gave an equally strong performance on gravel at Rally Ciudad de Pozoblanco, where five fastest times out of nine stages delivered the duo to victory by nearly 30-seconds.



The results gave him the championship lead he would successfully protect for the rest of the season. Despite a retirement at the Rally de Ourense – the only event on the schedule where Hyundai Motorsport customers were absent from the final podium – two second places help him withstand a renewed challenge would his would-be rivals in the second half of the season



He recorded a third victory at the Rallye La Nucía-Meditteráneo, where he avoided the sort of problems and mistakes that hampered his challengers to lead throughout the event and take the win by approaching a minute. The result helped secure the manufacturers’ title for Hyundai and gave López a comfortable lead heading into the final points-paying date on the calendar, which he took full advantage of.
 


Wary of the cost of any mistake, he and Rozada put in a controlled performance on Rally Villa de Adeje, taking an overall podium, while winning the final stage to complete a remarkable year where they notched up at least fastest time on all eight competitive events.
 


Ares’s Rallyshow win was a fitting finish to a season where i20 N Rally2 crews claimed a total of 10 podiums, with Ares finishing on the rostrum three times, while Surhayen Pernía finished fourth in the final standings after taking the first spot off the series’ podium five times this year aboard his i20 N Rally2.
 


Hyundai Motorsport Deputy Team Director Julien Moncet said: “The performance of our i20 N Rally2 crews in the Spanish Superchampionship this year has been amazing. The drivers started the season in brand new cars and were on the pace immediately – literally, in López’s case, as he won the very first stage of the year.


 Whether on tarmac or gravel Hyundai Motorsport customer teams were a constant threat for victory, and this helped give Hyundai España victory in the manufacturers’ standings with one rally still to go. In his first year as a Hyundai Motorsport customer López was the perfect combination of quick, consistent and smart when he needed to be, to capitalise on the opportunities during the season to build a lead in the championship.



Though it didn’t affect the final standing the result at Rallyshow Madrid put an exclamation point on a very strong year.”
 


 
2022 Spanish Superchampionship drivers’ standings after 8 rounds
 
1    P. López    235
2    E. Llarena    224
3    A. Cachón    209
4    S. Pernía    170
5    J. Cagiao    103
 
 
2022 Spanish Superchampionship manufacturers’ standings after 8 rounds
 
1    Hyundai    470
2    Peugeot    254
3    Citroen    227
4    Renault    223
 


Hyundai - photos