Rally Croatia is part of the WRC calendar for the first time and will take place on the outskirts of Croatia's capital Zagreb. The rally is the last of the season to take place on asphalt and will span just over 300 km over 20 speed stages.

After two rounds of the WRC season, Toyota pilot Kalle Rovanperä is first in the standings with 39 points, followed by Hyundai man Thierry Neuville with 35. Sebastien Ogier and Elfyn Evans, both driving for Toyota, have 31 points and fifth is Hyundai driver Ott Tänak with 27 points.

Tänak and co-driver Martin Järveoja dropped out of the opening round of the season in Monte Carlo due to a double puncture, causing the Estonian pair to receive zero points for the opening round. They bounced back at the Arctic Rally Finland however and dominated the speed stages while also adding two points from the special stage. Tänak also became the ninth pilot in WRC history to eclipse 1,000 career points.

Hyundai extends contract with WRC

On Wednesday, Hyundai Motorsport announced that the team has reached a three-year extension with the WRC organization. The manufacturer will continue competing until 2024 and will begin developing a hybrid car for the upcoming season.

Team director Andrea Adamo said: "We are pleased to support the future direction outlined by the FIA and the WRC promoter. We will develop our car around the i20 N, which itself was inspired by our WRC success to date. As two-time champions, we welcome the new challenge and look forward to flying the Hyundai flag into this new era."

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