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● Hyundai i30 N TCR driver Norbert Michelisz secured the WTCR - FIA World Touring Car Cup title after a dramatic finale weekend at the WTCR Race of Malaysia
● The Hungarian follows directly in the footsteps of his BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse teammate Gabriele Tarquini, and reconfirms the i30 N TCR at the top of the TCR category
● Together, Hyundai customers in the series claimed seven wins and a total of 18 podiums in the gruelling 30-race season
ALZENAU, December 16, 2019 - BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse driver Norbert Michelisz has won the 2019 WTCR - FIA World Touring Car Cup title, reaffirming the Hyundai i30 N TCR's position at the top of the global TCR category.
The Hungarian driver sealed the title at the Sepang International Circuit at the season-ending WTCR Race of Malaysia. The event brought the extremely competitive season to a frantic finale with all three races taking place over a single day, with the closing event of the campaign held under floodlights.
Michelisz extended his championship lead on Friday as he clinched both pole positions on offer for the weekend, and the ten points that came with them. More important was the dominant win in Race 1, further building his advantage. It proved timely, as his closest rival took victory in a Race 2 conducted in appalling conditions to set up a tense finale.
Despite losing the lead off the line Michelisz kept calm and managed the race to make sure he took the result needed for the title. He held on to fifth position (which became fourth following post-race penalties) to protect his lead to bring his points' tally up to a total of 372 - 23 more than his nearest rival at the close of the year.
In lifting the WTCR title Michelisz follows directly in the footsteps of teammate Gabriele Tarquini, who took the drivers' title in the first season of racing for the i30 N TCR in 2018. Even as outgoing champion Tarquini himself was also among the frontrunners in the 2019 season, taking a pair of race wins and finishing the season in eighth place in the championship.
Michelisz, meanwhile, tallied a total of five wins across the year - taking the chequered flag first in races at the N?rburgring Nordschleife, Vila Real street circuit, China's Ningbo International Speedpark and Suzuka in Japan. He also stood on the lower steps of the podium five times. That count included a second place at the Hungaroring, where i30 N TCR finished 1-2 in the final race of the weekend for the second consecutive season.
Unsurprisingly, given the pace of the car and the two teammates, the BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse also finished the season well placed in the teams' championship. The outfit started the Sepang weekend with a chance of taking the title - a result that would also see them succeed another Hyundai customer - and with a double podium in the first race in Malaysia closed in on the points' leaders before the final races. Through the duo continued to push, they could only maintain their place in the standings to secure the runner-up spot for BRC Team for the second year in a row.
The second pair of i30 N TCR - run under the BRC Hyundai N Lukoil Racing Team banner - finished sixth in the points with regular drivers Nicky Catsburg and Augusto Farfus 13th and 15th respectively in the final drivers' standings.
In total, Hyundai customers accumulated six pole positions, three fastest laps, 18 podiums and seven wins in a grueling 30-race season. The pinnacle of international Touring Car racing, the 2019 WTCR brought together seven different manufacturers for the most competitive and high-profile series using the incredibly successful TCR regulations. Michelisz's 2019 title, despite challenges from both new names to the series and more familiar rivals confirms the i30 N TCR as the leading car in the category.
Norbert Michelisz said: "I am so happy to be able to say I am the WTCR World Touring Car Cup winner. It is such a fantastic feeling after such a tense day. From the start of the weekend the i30 N TCR was really fast, but the mixed conditions for the races still made it very challenging. Though it is a drivers' title it has been won with the help of the whole team. Without their work, and the performance of the car it would not be possible. Gabriele Tarquini was one of the first people to congratulate me once we crossed the line. To follow him as the WTCR winner is amazing for me and especially great for the whole BRC Racing Team and the Hyundai Motorsport Customer Racing department who are responsible for building the i30 N TCR."
Hyundai Motorsport Team Director Andrea Adamo said: "I could not be more proud to say we have a
second BRC Racing Team-run Hyundai i30 N TCR driver as WTCR - FIA World Touring Car Cup winner in two years of racing. Norbert has obviously been great, and fully deserves to be on top of the podium after an incredibly close season. To clinch the title he needed a strong weekend in Malaysia under pressure, and he did exactly what was asked of him. For him to have won at five different circuits, as radically different as the Nordschleife and Vila Real, shows how versatile the i30 N TCR package is. It also shows the car can cope with anything the WTCR season - or any other TCR series - can come up with, and finish the year with a superb result"
President of Hyundai Motorsport Scott Noh said: "Only a few weeks ago I was speaking to all the teams and drivers who have won titles with our Hyundai Motorsport-built TCR cars. Now we can add a second WTCR - FIA World Touring Car Cup drivers' title to complete an excellent year. The series is incredibly competitive, with many very strong drivers, teams and manufacturers involved. For the Hyundai i30 N TCR to have consistently been at the front of the series for two full seasons is very impressive. It is a great indication of the talent of all the drivers with our customer teams, the teams themselves, everyone involved with the project as part of our Customer Racing department and of the performance of the car."
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About Hyundai Motorsport GmbH
Established on 19 December 2012, Hyundai Motorsport GmbH is responsible for Hyundai's global motorsport activities, including the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC), Customer Racing and electric racing projects. In WRC, Hyundai Motorsport quickly established a strong reputation taking victory in its debut season in 2014. The team finished as runners-up in the manufacturers' championship on three consecutive occasions between 2016 and 2018 before claiming its maiden title in 2019. Since the establishment of its Customer Racing activities in September 2015, Hyundai Motorsport has become a trusted partner for teams and drivers looking for success on the rally stages or on racetracks around the world. From its competitive i20 R5 rally car to the competitive i30 N TCR, Hyundai Motorsport-built cars have claimed victory in several championships, including national rally series around Europe, as well as the drivers' titles in two consecutive FIA WTCR - World Touring Car Cup seasons in 2018 and 2019. Designed and built at its Alzenau headquarters, the Veloster N ETCR was unveiled in September 2019 and heralds an exciting new era, in which electric racing is set to become one of the company's pillars. Unified under Hyundai Motorsport, WRC, Customer Racing and electric racing are together playing instrumental roles in driving Hyundai's global high-performance N brand, and are supporting an important perception shift for the Hyundai brand around the world.
Further information about Hyundai Motorsport is available at: http://motorsport.hyundai.com
About Hyundai Motor
Established in 1967, Hyundai Motor Company is committed to becoming a lifetime partner in automobiles and beyond with its range of world-class vehicles and mobility services available in more than 200 countries. Employing more than 110,000 employees worldwide, Hyundai has sold more than 4.5 million vehicles globally. Hyundai Motor continues to enhance its product line-up with vehicles that are helping to build solutions for a more sustainable future, such as NEXO, the world's first dedicated hydrogen-powered SUV.
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