As Hyundai Motorsport celebrates its tenth anniversary year, three of the company’s cars will be taking to the hill climb or forest rally stage during the four-day celebration of automotive and motorsport icons in the United Kingdom.
Rallying has formed the backbone of Hyundai Motorsport since its earliest days, and the team has developed strong credentials against tough opposition in the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC). Its most recent WRC car, the Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid, will be put through its paces at Goodwood by drivers Thierry Neuville (Thursday/Friday) and Esapekka Lappi (Saturday/Sunday).
In 2015, the Hyundai Motorsport Customer Racing department was established, and it set about creating competitive machinery for privateer teams and drivers. This began with rally and the Hyundai i20 R5 before the company added circuit racing for the first time in 2017. It has since created three incredibly competitive TCR cars, which have contested local and regional series as well as the pinnacle of the sport.
All three WTCR – FIA World Touring Car Cup title winners with Hyundai Motorsport cars will be at Goodwood for the Festival of Speed weekend. Gabriele Tarquini, who was a winner in 2018 and has been instrumental in the development of every TCR car created by Hyundai Motorsport Customer Racing, will be on hand with his helmet at the ready. Norbert Michelisz, the 2019 winner, will be behind the wheel of his title-winning Hyundai i30 N TCR, while 2022 champion Mikel Azcona will run up the hill in the Hyundai Elantra N TCR.
Spectators will be able to see Hyundai Motorsport’s cars on the hill climb in Manufacturer Batch 1 on all four days.
Hyundai Motorsport President Sean Kim said: “We are very excited to be a part of the Goodwood Festival of Speed in 2023, a year that marks a decade of our company’s existence. Hyundai Motorsport has achieved so much over the past ten years, and our successes will be well represented by our chosen cars and drivers taking to the hill climb and forest rally stage this week.
“As 10th anniversaries go, an action-packed weekend at the Festival of Speed is certainly a special way to celebrate our ongoing journey; it is an incredibly iconic event, offering a full breadth of automotive and motorsport stars to enthusiasts that travel far and wide to be there. Our presence, combined with the attendance of Hyundai’s automotive offering, will demonstrate the strength and depth of our motorsport and road-going cars to a fantastic new audience.”
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