Revue

This rally car launches like no other, but takes skill to get going

You will need to sweat quite a bit before you learn how to drive this rally-specced Hyundai i20 WRC, but once you do, darting to 100 km/h (62 mph) will be a matter of a couple seconds.

The usual procedure goes like this: you get into your comfy driver’s seat, buckle up, fire up the engine, thrust into gear, and go. A WRC car is a different story altogether, though. Watch the video to see Ollie Marriage explain the basics.

In short, this is how you do it: first, you get into the bucket seat and make sure that five-point safety harness is fastened. Then you hit the launch button, floor the clutch, pull the handbrake, and floor the gas. Then you abruptly release the launch button, the handbrake, and the clutch.

The pilot begins by memorizing the sequence and proceeds to hone his skill for hours on end to minimize the time required to do all of the above in correct succession.

Editor: Andrew Raspopov

October 7, 2019