Fri 20 Dec 2024
Simon Wagner has likened his move to Hyundai power for the 2025 FIA European Rally Championship to the “start of a new chapter” after he spent five seasons driving various Škoda Fabia Rally2 cars.
The quadruple Austrian champion has registered four ERC podiums to date including on last August’s Barum Czech Rally Zlin when he drove a Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 to a career-best second place.
Now driving for Servis Podlesnik and Kowax DST Racing, the 31-year-old plans to contest four ERC rounds in 2025 as well as chasing a fifth Austrian title and mounting a Czech championship campaign.
He will start the 2025 Austrian championship season-opening Jänner Rallye next month in a Hyundai i20 N Rally2 before he switches to the latest-generation i20 N Rally2 Step 2.
“I’m very happy to start a new chapter,” Wagner said. “There is a lot of work still going on, the new car just came a few days ago and we start testing on 27 December. It’s all super-excited and I really need all this. I am at the perfect age to try a swap like this. I hope we can achieve proper results like in the past. And last but not least I am super super-happy to continue starting in ERC.”
Wagner plans to contest the ERC-counting 42nd Rally Sierra Morena - Córdoba Patrimonio de la Humanidad in Spain (4 - 6 April), Rally di Roma Capitale in Italy (4 - 6 July), Barum Czech Rally Zlín (15 - 17 August) and Croatia Rally (3-5 October).
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