The Finn was in the running for a Rally1 seat with Hyundai for 2024 before the Korean manufacturer opted to share its third entry between Esapekka Lappi, Dani Sordo and new signing Andreas Mikkelsen.
Suninen, whose best WRC finish to date came when he placed second for M-Sport on the 2019 Rally Sardinia, joined Hyundai’s revamped driver development programme in 2023 alongside Emil Lindholm.
He was promoted to team’s third Rally1 entry for rounds in Estonia, Finland, Chile and Central Europe, taking three top-six finishes.
The 30-year-old had started the 2023 season driving a Hyundai Rally2 car, scoring a best finish of second in Sardinia, and will now return to the WRC2 division for five rounds with the CHL Sport Auto team.
The French squad will also run a Hyundai i20 Rally2 for development driver team-mate Lindholm, who begins his campaign in Sweden this week.
“Excited to share that I’ll be driving the Hyundai i20 N Rally2 car in 2024,” Suninen posted on social media.
“We are joining forces with the legendary CHL Sport Auto team, who are reigning seven-time French Rally team champions.”
Suninen is yet to confirm where he will begin his WRC2 campaign.
Teemu Suninen, Mikko Markkula, Hyundai Motorsport N Hyundai i20 N Rally2
Photo by: Vincent Thuillier / Hyundai Motorsport
CHL Sport Auto will carry out valuable development work on the i20 N Rally2 for Hyundai this year. The squad will also enter a car in the French Rally Championship for rising star Hugo Margaillan.
“To have such a strong combination of crews and team in the WRC2 Championship this season is very important for the Hyundai i20 N Rally2 project,” said Andrea Cisotti, Hyundai Motorsport Rally2 project manager.
“We know the championship is incredibly competitive, but both Emil Lindholm and Teemu Suninen have excellent records in the series, which I’m sure they can add to this year.
“Even as a new customer to the i20 N Rally2 for 2024, I am sure that, based on their own history, CHL Sport Auto will be a strong team in both international and French competitions with the car.
“We are constantly pushing forward with the development of every aspect of the i20 N Rally2, which we expect will give a further boost to all our customer teams in their 2024 programmes.”