THIS month's Network Q RAC Rally is to see Hyundai's first foray into European motorsport with an entry for the Accent which has been successfully campaigned in Asia-Pacific events for the past 18 months.

Hyundai Car (UK) Ltd is supporting the Accent MVi-based car entered by the Korean firm's rally sport department and the car is to be driven by the five-times British Champion Jimmy McRae - whose son Colin will be trying to regain the World Rally Championship crown in the same event.

McRae and the Hyundai Accent will be backed by Milton Keynes-based Motor Sports Developments and a team of Hyundai engineers flying into the UK specially for the event.

The Accent rally car, will be competing in Group A - a strictly limited category for showroom class contenders where only safety and durability changes are allowed. That means items such as roll cages and sump guards can be fitted along with improved brakes and suspension, but major engine modifications are forbidden.

Among similar competition the Accent has recorded class wins in several events in the Far East and Australia since the car was first wheeled out of the workshops in Ulsan, Korea, in late 1995. This is Hyundai Motor Company's first entry into international motorsport events outside the Far East.

Stephen Kitson, co-ordinator of Hyundai's RAC Rally entry said: "Our colleagues at Hyundai Motor Company are contemplating a full World Rally Championship campaign and have already entered events this year with an F2-qualifying version of the Hyundai Coupe.

"But they realise they have little experience of the harsh conditions they will face on some of Europe's toughest events which they will have to enter in order to qualify for overall WRC honours.

"The Accent is being brought to the UK to gain some early experience prior to any commitment for next year. With the extensive involvement of MSD in this sport and the unquestioned expertise of Jimmy McRae we believe we will gain a valuable insight into how Hyundai can prepare for a full World Rally Championship season."

The Hyundai Accent will line up with the other competitors for the start of the Network Q RAC Rally on Sunday November 23 at Cheltenham Racecourse for three days of gruelling competition over special spectator stages in the Midlands and the demanding forest tracks of mid and south Wales before returning for the finish at Cheltenham.

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