TG’s i20 rally car: the final test

Sweet Lamb. Twenty-five miles of iconic rallying stages in the middlest bit of mid-Wales. It's awesome territory and in the shed that doubles up as a workshop one wall is given over to famous autographs: Marcus Gronholm, Petter Solberg, Jimmy McRae and many more, many of them utterly indecipherable. They've all been here.

And now we're here for a spot of testing with the Top Gear Hyundai i20. Wales Rally GB is only ten days away and, if you've been keeping up with the story, you'll recall that our last outing, on the Cambrian rally a couple of weeks ago, didn't go according to plan...

We had alternator issues. We subsequently found out that the clutch pack inside the alternator gave up the ghost, and we had to retire after four of the eight stages. Pity, as we were running pretty well.

But now it's all fixed and beefed up with a wider six-tooth belt, so we've come to Sweet Lamb to check that the car's all running properly - and that I'm running properly, too.

Most amazing of all, the weather is awesome - there's barely a cloud in the sky and we're treated to a fly-past by a pair of RAF Typhoons just as we're getting set to go.

Stage three of Wales Rally GB comes through here next Friday, which means most of the roads here are completely off-limits to us - we can't be seen to be having an illicit advantage by running the car on the actual route. So we've got a high loop - a one mile climb up into the hills, a one mile loop at the top and then the run back down into the bowl at the bottom.

And our little Hyundai is superb on it all. We've got a new crownwheel and pinion that's helped lengthen the gearing and give us a higher top speed and means I'm not forever changing gear.
As a result we've found the car actually pulls better at medium-high revs than we expected, meaning we don't forever have to hang on for the limiter - in fact power tails off much beyond 7,200rpm.

As a package, our Hyundai i20 now feels mighty sweet. After a bit of familiarisation (and watching out for the tricky sections here where there are huge ditches on the inside of some corners and fresh air on the outside, plus camber changes, lumps, bumps, loose surfaces and everything else you find on a standard rally stage) the i20 gets its groove on.

It's superbly balanced, the rear end really composed and faithful. So composed, in fact, that we have a bit of a tinker with the brake balance to see if we can get the car to help us a bit more on turn in. It doesn't make much of a discernible difference, but it's good to have a tinker with these things and see what works.

Callum Black from 586 Engineering, the team that has built our Hyundai, is a vastly more experienced rally driver than I am, so, in the absence of co-driver Jack Morton, gamely agrees to act as ballast and give me a few pointers.

Turn in later, let the car come straighter before getting on the power, and, if possible, don't come on and off the power too much - keep it on as that will keep the diff working and pulling you in the right direction. All useful stuff.

We end up running 56 stage miles up, down and around Sweet Lamb and the car doesn't miss a beat. As far as I'm concerned, it's bang on now - good brakes, lovely compliant suspension, decent (but not unmanageable) power, ace traction. I feel comfortable and confident in the car, and you can't ask for more than that really.

So, the ten-day count down is on. Next Thursday we have to report for scrutineering and Wales Rally GB starts in earnest on Friday the 14th. One less could have been a bad omen...

If you're coming (and if you're not, why not? It's going to be a mega event), make sure you come and say hello. We're going to need all the support we can get...

Pictures: Sam Shrimpton