The World Rally Championship (WRC) and its high-powered rally cars is known for producing some of the most high-strung driving in motorsport. A recent incident at Rally Estonia shows just how close these all-terrain performance cars can get to going over the edge.
Driver Fabrizio Zaldivar was speeding through a stage at Rally Estonia when his car suddenly bounced up with its left side in the air. A balancing act and quick maneuvering produced a thrilling save — even by WRC standards.
Quick Save Keeps Hyundai Rally Car From Crashing Out
It takes a heap of skill and a strong dose of luck to get through any rally stage successfully. Fabrizio Zaldivar's near-miss at Rally Estonia is an example of the balance in action.
Video clips show the thrilling incident. As Zaldivar speeds through a long sweeper, the left side of his car clips an obstacle on the road. The collision violently tosses the entire left side of the car into the air, leaving the rest to balance on the right wheels alone. After a few moments of careening halfway in the air, the car manages to land back on all four wheels. But the trouble didn't stop there.
As soon as the car lands on all fours, it flicks the back end out to the left. Zaldivar has to make quick steering corrections to bring his race car back under control.
This view from the cockpit shows another angle of the near miss:
This is just the latest among numerous close saves seen throughout the World Rally Championship and its supporting series every year. It just goes to show the intensity and speed of competition in a sport often overlooked in comparison to the likes of Formula 1.
Rally Estonia Driver Was Piloting A i20 N Rally2
Zaldivar wasn't driving some knockoff car, either. He was driving one of Hyundai Motorsport's factory rally race cars — the Hyundai i20 N Rally2.
The Hyundai i20 N Rally2 is a dedicated rally sport machine, designed from the ground up with the engineering and performance to compete in rally stages worldwide. It features a high-output turbocharged four-cylinder engine, full-time all-wheel drive, a five-speed sequential transmission, and a body and chassis reinforced for multi-surface racing.
Hyundai developed the i20 N Rally2 as a platform for customer teams and owner-drivers. It's the second such factory rally car that Hyundai has developed.