Martijn Wydaeghe
Although a relative newcomer to the WRC’s top flight, Wydaeghe has already won two rallies alongside Hyundai Motorsport star Thierry Neuville.
The story so far
An emerging co-driver, Wydaeghe began his rallying career as a teenager in 2012 and partnered various drivers, including his brother Jeroen, on Belgian rallies.
It didn’t take long for him to rise up the ranks and he made his FIA World Rally Championship debut at Rally de France Alsace the following year, guiding Philip Cracco to 22nd in a Ford Fiesta R5.
Further experience gained co-driving for Belgian star Freddy Loix on tests in 2014 helped Wydaeghe secure a seat with Mats van den Brand in the Junior WRC for 2015. Their best result was third in Germany.
Wydaeghe’s performances earned him a contract with Hyundai Motorsport to partner Korean development driver Chewon Lim at a number of international events in 2016 and 2017.
He then joined forces with Guillaume de Mévius for 2018 as part of the RACB National Team, before gaining more experience with Hyundai in 2019 when he partnered Craig Breen at the Monza Rally Show.
However, Wydaeghe’s big chance came less than a week before the start of the 2021 season at Rallye Monte-Carlo when he was called up to co-drive for Thierry Neuville in a Hyundai i20 World Rally Car. After finishing third in Monte-Carlo, Wydaeghe continued his partnership with Neuville. They claimed five podiums plus two wins over the year, one of which came during their home round in Belgium.
Two more victories in 2022 followed, with the pair claiming third in the championship. They remain at Hyundai for the 2023 season.
