Arnaud Psarofaghis meets up with WRC's Dani Sordo and Thierry Neuville
by Alinghi Red Bull Racing 14 Oct 2022 22:01 AEDT
Arnaud Psarofaghis (L) of Switzerland and Alinghi Red Bull Racing, Thierry Neuville (R) of Belgium and Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT seen during a Seat swap in Barcelona, Spain © Alinghi Red Bull Racing / Samo Vidic
Elite athletes from two top-level sports came together to compare notes when World Rally Championship (WRC) drivers Dani Sordo and Thierry Neuville - preparing to compete for Hyundai Motorsport in the fast-approaching Rally de España - met Alinghi Red Bull Racing helmsman Arnaud Psarofaghis, training to challenge for the next America's Cup in Barcelona.
Alinghi Red Bull Racing returned to Barcelona after the TF35 Trophy in Scarlino just in time for a special day at the office. The gathering of drivers gave WRC athletes Dani Sordo (ESP) and Thierry Neuville (BEL), and Alinghi Red Bull Racing's Arnaud Psarofaghis (SUI) a unique opportunity to swap experiences and discuss what it's like to hurtle down roads in a rally car and to fly above the water on an America's Cup boat. Each came away with a deeper understanding of the challenges on land and sea, and with an appreciation of the similarities between the two intense sports.
After riding in the Hyundai i20 N Rally1 car - a turbocharged, four-wheel-drive powerhouse that can leap from 0 to 100 km/h in under four seconds - Psarofaghis was deeply impressed: "I had the great experience of being on board with Thierry Neuville. At first, we took it slowly, and then he pushed, and pushed the car. It was a really great moment. It's brutal in one way, but his driving is super smooth, so it's two different kinds of feeling at the same time. This experience was the best thing I've done in my life so far!
"Sailing and car racing are two different worlds, but they have similarities: they're technical and they need to be driven with feeling. There's also great communication between the mechanics and the engineers on their side, and on ours, between the boat designers and the boat builders. It's the place where our worlds meet," Psarofaghis continued.
After flying along Barcelona's coast on foils onboard the AC75, BoatZero, a 75-foot monohull that the all-Swiss crew is using to gain valuable experience while their race boat is being completed, Neuville said: "Experiencing a full training session with the team was amazing. To have been out for hours on the sea with them is a once-in-a-lifetime experience and I feel very honoured. Today there were really tricky conditions but we went very fast - at some point over 35 knots - and the sensation when the boat is lifting off the sea is something special.
"There are certainly points of comparison between a WRC team and a team like Alinghi Red Bull Racing. It's the extreme of technology, and there are a lot of engineers, mechanics, systems specialists and so on, and what's more, everyone on the team pushes to the limit of what's possible. I think that's what you need if you want to fight at the highest level," he added.
Hyundai Motorsport has competed in eight WRC seasons, twice claiming the Manufacturers' title. The 2022 WRC season has seen a move to hybrid technology in the Rally1 category, and the team has taken four victories so far (Sardinia, Finland, Belgium, and Greece) with its Hyundai i20 N Rally1, which features 380 HP plus 134 HP Hybrid power, not to mention approximately 450 NM of torque.
At the end of an action-packed day, Sordo highlighted his support for the Swiss team: "It was really nice to be on the boat and to learn about what they do. The America's Cup is very important for Spain and it's amazing to have it here in Barcelona. Because Alinghi Red Bull Racing has a base here, I hope that people will see them as a home team - for sure I will come to watch. In the meantime, I'm really looking forward to this rally. Spain is always special, and next year we don't have an event here, so it's double important and double nice for me. I will be trying hard to win."