VIDEO: Watch Paul Nagle co-drive a blindfolded Craig Breen

As excitement builds towards the start of the 2021 FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) season, which gets underway at Rallye Monte-Carlo next week, Hyundai Motorsport’s four crews have turned their sights to a different type of driving test – the Blindfold Challenge!

The partnership between a driver and co-driver is a special bond which places concise and effective communication at its very heart. Developing and delivering pace notes for the intense and exhilarating stages of the WRC is no mean feat. It requires precision, clarity and two-way respect. The co-driver acts as the driver’s voice, navigating them past every turn, crest or water splash. Even the tiniest error or misunderstanding can make or break an entire rally.

As Hyundai Motorsport prepares for the opening round of the season, with testing having recently taken place in the Gap region of France, the crews took time out to put their partnership to the test in the Blindfold Challenge, held near the team’s factory in Alzenau, Germany.

The quartet – comprising Martin Järveoja/Ott Tänak, Nicolas Gilsoul/Thierry Neuville, Borja Rozada/ Dani Sordo and Paul Nagle/Craig Breen – were each put through the test to show just how important the driver/co-driver partnership is in WRC.

With only their co-drivers’ voice to guide them, the drivers – taking to the cockpit of the new Hyundai i30 N – had to negotiate a cone-lined course while wearing a blindfold. It was a challenge that only the co-drivers could tackle with their eyes wide open. There was even a water splash… of sorts!

The results of the crews’ Blindfold Challenge can be seen this week on Hyundai Motorsport’s social media channels, #HMSGOfficial, as an entertaining prelude to the start of the new season. Links to the clips available be found below:

Craig and Paul: https://youtu.be/bvgLtLzph4o

Martin & Ott: https://youtu.be/4XqNu0-6kEg