JA Motorsports to build i20 N Line-based rally cars for INRC 3T and INRC 2 categories.
The Hyundai i20 you see might be a very distant relative to the car that powered Thierry Neuville to his WRC crown in 2024, but it’s all set to spice up the Indian National Rally Championship. Watching Latvian driver Martins Sesks (he’s raced and won for MRF in the European Rally Championship) put the Hyundai through its paces at a test outing in Coimbatore sure suggested as much.
WRC driver Martins Sesks was roped in for setup inputs.
Developed by JA Motorsport that’s set to make a comeback to rallying after a brief hiatus, the i20 will be fielded in the new INRC 3T class (production cars with turbocharged engines under 1,400cc), with a higher-spec version ready for action in INRC 2. The Hyundai i20 N Line with a manual transmission serves as the base for the transformations and was chosen for its “strong fundamentals”, as J Anand of JA Motorsport puts it. The souped-up cars will be available to customer teams for purchase with prices starting at Rs 25 lakh for INRC 3T spec and Rs 35 lakh for INRC 2 form. That’s above the cost of the donor car, mind you.
ECU, intake and exhaust upgrades bump power to 140hp. Drive is to front wheels via LSD.
In its journey from road car to rally car, the i20 N Line INRC 3T has gained 20hp and 33Nm (now at 140hp and 205Nm, respectively) courtesy intake, exhaust and ECU upgrades. The drivetrain is enhanced with a button-type ceramic clutch and limited slip differential (LSD), while Reiger suspension (3-way adjustable dampers on full-spec versions) ensures the i20 is built to take a beating.
Interior is completely stripped off regular trimmings, gets carbon fibre elements instead.
Takeaways from a short outing behind the wheel were of immense grip from the MRF tyres and tremendous bite around the corners courtesy of the LSD. I didn’t dare pull the handbrake on my run (I wouldn’t want to ruin test day should things go south), but I did experience the i20 INRC 3T’s range of talents on a demo outing with rally driver Prithveen Rajan. It was raw, quick and pointy.
The i20s will see action in the 2025 INRC season and could mark a change of guard from the Polos that have dominated the sport since the mid-2010s.
Also see:
Autocar Track Day: best driver’s cars from 2025 at the CoASTT circuit
