World champion co-driver will get behind the wheel on Festival of Speed's Forest Rally Stage
Photography by Hyundai & Rallylegend
Words by David Evans, DirtFish Head of Media
There’s nothing new in World Rally Champions driving at Goodwood’s Festival of Speed – but this week’s event will bring something slightly different.
Hyundai Motorsport star and co-driver to Thierry Neuville, Martijn Wydaeghe is, of course, a world champion. But he’s usually found on the side of the car with no steering wheel. Not this weekend. He’s been handed the controls of a Hyundai i20 N Rally1.
Taking care of Wydaeghe’s day job? DirtFish’s head of video Eliot Barnard.
“The team contacted me a few weeks ago and asked me if I would do it,” Wydaeghe told DirtFish. “I told them: “Yeah, I will go!” They didn’t mention Eliot would be co-driving though. Now this is real pressure!
“I did drive the [Rally1] car two years ago in Rallylegend, in this street stage with Dani Sordo co-driving for me. For me, with this kind of event with no pressure and just for fun, they can always call me.”
Wydaeghe's only previous experience of driving the Rally1 car was on wide asphalt roads at Rallylegend
Sensing that Wydaeghe might be something of stealth rally driver with a series of as-yet undisclosed Belgian events under his belt, I push him a bit further on his time behind the wheel.
“San Marino was the first time I ever drove a rally car.”
Oh. And now he’s bound for the very woods that tripped Travis Pastrana up, tipping the American ace on his head a few years ago.
Didn’t I mention, Eliot, it’s the Forest Rally Stage for you. Just as well it’s not going to be raining. That chalky surface is slick in the wet.
Wydaeghe smiled: “I came here as a spectator in 2017 and watched in this stage – it’s slippery. Even in the dry it looks very, very low grip and you have like this banking everywhere and yeah, there is no room for error. And, I don’t know where I’m going – I don’t get to make the recce…”
And now Hyundai is going to let him loose in a 2024-spec Hyundai i20 N Rally1 (albeit with the hybrid removed – he probably doesn’t need the extra 134bhp off the line!).
“It’s a nice opportunity to enjoy this kind of machinery. Like I said, I don’t have so much experience. I didn’t drive on any road sections or anything like that – there are two problems: with Thierry’s seat position, I couldn’t reach the pedals and he couldn’t fit in my seat!
“It’s good that I have learned from Thierry, but it’s still a big difference to sit on the right side and then take the control on the left side. I’m not thinking too much about it. I will just discover how it will go and I will just enjoy it. Even if I’m driving slow, I really don’t care. I just want to have fun together with the people over there and enjoy this amazing event.
“The atmosphere [at Goodwood], it’s so specific for the UK and you can feel the history of the motorsport. It’s really present over there. It’s really nice to have the chance to mix with other people from motorsport and from Formula 1 – they know what you are doing and what you have achieved and it’s really good to have some chats with the people at the other top sports. They share our passion for the sport.”
So, moving forwards to the startline for the first time on Saturday. What’s the plan? Launch?
“I think so, yes,” he said. “If you do it, you need to do it properly. So, I will follow the strategy of the car and I will use it maybe at 20% of its capacity! Seriously, I will try to do my best to give a good feeling.”
Prior to Wydaeghe taking over the i20 on Saturday morning, Ott Tänak and Neuville himself will have given the crowds at the sell-out British event something to smile about. The team’s third driver Adrien Fourmaux had a more pressing engagement… he’s getting married this weekend.
Tags: goodwood festival of speed, Hyundai i20 N Rally1, Martijn Wydaeghe, WRC
Publish Date July 9, 2025 DirtFish 
https://dirtfish-editorial.s3-accelerate.amazonaws.com/2025/07/IL20250709122035-2025KENYA_AUS_5787-scaled-780x517.jpg July 9, 2025
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