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Hyundai Retains FIA TCR World Tour Championship Lead with Victory in China

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Motorsport Hyundai Retains FIA TCR World Tour Championship Lead with Victory in China

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Motorsport Hyundai Retains FIA TCR World Tour Championship Lead with Victory in China

Hyundai Retains FIA TCR World Tour Championship Lead with Victory in China
Hyundai Retains FIA TCR World Tour Championship Lead with Victory in China

Motorsport Hyundai Retains FIA TCR World Tour Championship Lead with Victory in China

Hyundai Retains FIA TCR World Tour Championship Lead with Victory in China
Hyundai Retains FIA TCR World Tour Championship Lead with Victory in China

Motorsport Hyundai Retains FIA TCR World Tour Championship Lead with Victory in China

Hyundai Retains FIA TCR World Tour Championship Lead with Victory in China
Hyundai Retains FIA TCR World Tour Championship Lead with Victory in China

Motorsport Hyundai Retains FIA TCR World Tour Championship Lead with Victory in China

Hyundai Retains FIA TCR World Tour Championship Lead with Victory in China
Hyundai Retains FIA TCR World Tour Championship Lead with Victory in China
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Motorsport 202410210830
Hyundai Retains FIA TCR World Tour Championship Lead with Victory in China

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  • BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse driver Norbert Michelisz holds on to the lead of the Kumho FIA TCR World Tour for Drivers’ standings after Zhuzhou race weekend
  • Mikel Azcona’s wait for a first victory of 2024 ends after charging to the front in his Hyundai ELANTRA N TCR during a thrilling wet-weather Race 1
  • Néstor Girolami adopts a defensive role in Race 1 behind team-mate Michelisz before finishing runner-up in Race 2 after leading from pole position.
Hyundai Retains FIA TCR World Tour Championship Lead with Victory in China
The new ELANTRA N The new ELANTRA N

ZHUZHOU, China, October 20, 2024 – Mikel Azcona ended his wait for a 2024 Kumho FIA TCR World Tour win by delivering a wet-weather driving masterclass for BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse in the first of two races at the Zhuzhou International Circuit.


By twice scoring points in his Hyundai ELANTRA N TCR, reigning champion Norbert Michelisz maintained his lead in the Drivers’ standings ahead of next month’s season-deciding Macau Grand Prix weekend.


Néstor Girolami was less than a lap away from winning Race 2 from pole position but ultimately had to settle for the runner-up spot as Michelisz and Azcona finished eighth and ninth respectively.


With six events and 12 races run, Michelisz leads the Drivers’ championship with a 10-point advantage. Though Girolami is out of title contention, Azcona remains in the hunt, sitting 27 points behind Michelisz following his triumph in Race 1, which began in damp conditions but finished in heavy rain.


Starting fourth on the packed 28-car grid, Azcona overtook Yann Ehrlacher for second shortly before the first of two safety car interventions. Despite the rain intensifying and the majority of drivers using slick tyres, Azcona grabbed first place from Thed Björk to take a lead he would not relinquish. Such was his pace in the tricky conditions, Azcona was even able to pull clear of the chasing pack in the closing laps to take a deserved win with Michelisz and Girolami finishing seventh and eighth respectively.


While the weather was overcast for Race 2, the rain was absent from the day’s drama. Girolami took full advantage of starting the partially-reversed encounter from pole position. Even after a safety car period closed up the field, Girolami continued to resist heavy pressure from the driver behind until the final lap, when he was finally overtaken and slipped to finish in second place. Michelisz scored important points in eighth, one place ahead of Azcona.


The winners of the Kumho FIA TCR World Tour Drivers’ and Teams’ titles for 2024 will be decided during the Macau Grand Prix weekend on November 14-17.


Hyundai Motorsport Circuit Racing Project Manager Julien Moncet said: “There’s definitely a lot to take from this weekend, positive and negative. Knowing the final result from the weekend and knowing where we were before coming to China, I would have signed immediately. The positive thing is we kept the lead in the Drivers’ championship with Norbi, although BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse lost some points in the Teams’ championship, which will be very tough to claim back. But at least we still have a good chance in the Drivers’ championship. Another positive was the win from Mikel in Race 1. It was a masterclass drive from him, he was incredible driving the ELANTRA N TCR on slick tyres in the rain in very difficult conditions. Néstor and Norbi both did what they could in Race 1. Néstor did a brilliant job in Race 2. For sure second was not the result he was targeting because he was still leading with only a few hundred metres left, but he should be very proud of what he did. All the drivers had a role this weekend, which they fulfilled, so I have to thank them. We were lacking some performance, and we need to understand why. There is one race to go, and we can’t afford another difficult weekend.”

Hyundai ELANTRA N TCR
Mikel Azcona
Hyundai ELANTRA N TCR 2.9 MB
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Hyundai Retains FIA TCR World Tour Championship Lead with Victory in China
Hyundai Retains FIA TCR World Tour Championship Lead with Victory in China
Hyundai ELANTRA N TCR
Mikel Azcona
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Driver Notes: #105 Norbert Michelisz (HUN), Hyundai ELANTRA N TCR

  • Hungarian keeps Kumho FIA TCR World Tour title defence on track by scoring points in both races
  • The defending champion finishes seventh in Race 1 and eighth in Race 2


Michelisz said: “Race 1 was really tricky because the rain started to come and it was very difficult to predict the correct tyre choice. In the end there was no other option than to start on slick tyres. The rain started to intensify but my target was always to score some points to keep the championship battle more or less in shape from my side. I would have preferred to finish fifth or sixth, but I did my best and P7 was the maximum for me. Race 2 was quite chaotic, especially after the first two corners. I received some hits on the left rear and lost some positions, but again my target was to stay in the fight and score points. Finishing P8 is a decent result. We’re still leading the championship and that was the target for the event. Considering the pace I had this weekend, I’m happy with the outcome so thanks to the team and thanks to Néstor and Mikel for their assistance in both races. I now feel well prepared for Macau.”


Driver Notes: #196 Mikel Azcona (ESP), Hyundai ELANTRA N TCR

  • Spaniard charges through from fourth on the grid to win rain-hit Race 1 for first victory of 2024
  • He performs the perfect supporting role by following team-mate Michelisz home in Race 2


Azcona said: “I am very, very happy with my first win of the year after not a very easy season for me. I had many problems out of my control where I lost many points, so I really needed this win. The conditions in Race 1 were very challenging, it was raining, I had slick tyres and the track was fully wet and very slippery. But I was able to find a good pace with the ELANTRA N TCR. I love these conditions and I think I had something else compared to the others. After a few laps I realised my pace was much faster than the guys ahead. So, I stayed very calm, I tried to not do any mistakes, just to be in the fight and it paid off. After a few laps leading I saw my gap was enough to be relaxed and the last six or seven laps I was just taking really good care to keep the car on track and bring the it home. When the rain started to get heavier and heavier it was very demanding mentally to understand in every situation where you needed to brake, which line you needed to have, in which gear you needed to push, which gear you can take or not. I got a good start in Race 2, I was able to overtake one place but I struggled with the top speed on this track. The car was super-good in the corners and very competitive, but the straights was where I was losing everything. It is what it is.”


Driver Notes: #129 Néstor Girolami (ARG), Hyundai ELANTRA N TCR

  • Turns protector for team-mate Michelisz in Race 1, finishing eighth to score more points
  • Leads Race 2 from pole position and was less than a lap from winning but finishes second


Girolami said: “I was doing everything perfectly to defend my position in Race 2, always my line was the same, but in the last lap I don’t understand what happened, it was very strange, but suddenly we lost the race and then I received a big impact at Turn 5. It was very disappointing after leading all the race. Of course, Race 1 took place in difficult conditions. I gained two positions after the start and after that I stayed behind Norbi, trying to cover him for the whole race. My pace was good, similar to Mikel, but it was more important to cover Norbi rather than exploiting all the pace I had. I wanted to make his life as easy as possible to score points and keep him in the fight for championship and we did this.”



Race 1 results:

1M. AzconaHyundai ELANTRA N18 laps in 40:34.472
2E. GuerrieriHonda Civic Type R FL5+7.062s
3T. BjörkLynk & Co 03+8.441s
4Y. EhrlacherLynk & Co 03+9.568s
5S. UrrutiaLynk & Co 03+11.629s
6M. ButtiHonda Civic Type R FL5+13.994s
7N. MicheliszHyundai ELANTRA N+18.821s
8N. GirolamiHyundai ELANTRA N+19.825s
9R. HuffHonda Civic Type R FL5+22.284s
10J. ZhangLynk & Co 03+22.464s


Race 2 results:

1M. Qing HuaLynk & Co 0318 laps in 35:40.167
2N. GirolamiHyundai ELANTRA N+0.378s
3Y. EhrlacherLynk & Co 03+4.184
4S. UrrutiaLynk & Co 03+6.987s
5E. GuerrieriHonda Civic Type R FL5+7.744s
6M. ButtiHonda Civic Type R FL5+8.026s
7R. HuffAudi RS 3 LMS+8.958s
8N. MicheliszHyundai ELANTRA N+12.230s
9M. AzconaHyundai ELANTRA N+12.617s
10T. BjörkLynk & Co 03+13.085s


2024 Kumho FIA TCR World Tour for Drivers
After Round 6:
1N. Michelisz274
2E. Guerrieri264
3T. Björk255
4Y. Ehrlacher251
5M. Azcona247
6S. Urrutia213
7N. Girolami202
8M. Q. Hua194
9M. Butti152
10J. Filippi110


2024 Kumho FIA TCR World Tour for Teams
After Round 6:
1Lynk & Co Cyan Racing630
2BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse575
3GOAT Racing450
4Volcano Motorsport165
5PMO Racing64
6Paladini Racing28
7Squadra Martino20
8Bryan Herta Autosport14
9Lynk & Co Teamwork Racing14
10Team Clairet Sport14
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James Broomhead
jbroomhead@hyundai-ms.com
Hyundai Motorsport GmbH


Disclaimer: Hyundai Motor Company believes the information contained herein to be accurate at the time of release. However, the company may upload new or updated information if required and assumes that it is not liable for the accuracy of any information interpreted and used by the reader.


About Hyundai Motorsport GmbH

Hyundai Motorsport GmbH is responsible for Hyundai’s global motorsport activities, including the FIA World Rally Championship and Customer Racing projects. Since its inception in 2012, Hyundai Motorsport has established a strong reputation in WRC and claimed the manufacturers’ title in 2019 and 2020. The company embraced the all- new technical challenge of WRC’s hybrid era in 2022, resulting in the birth of the Hyundai i20 N RALLY1 HYBRID. Following the creation of its Customer Racing department in 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 Hyundai i20 N Rally2 to the front-running Hyundai Elantra N TCR, Hyundai Motorsport-built cars have claimed crowns in several national rally championships and titles in the FIA World Touring Car Cup (WTCR) (2018, 2019, 2022) and the TCR World Tour (2023). Hyundai Motorsport has supported an important perception shift for the Hyundai brand around the world over the past ten years and continues to play an instrumental role in driving Hyundai’s global high-performance N brand.

Further information about Hyundai Motorsport is available at: http://motorsport.hyundai.com


10 Years of Strategic Partnership: Hyundai Motorsport & Shell

Global energy company Shell is a long-standing partner of Hyundai Motorsport, having supported the team since its debut WRC season in 2014. This year therefore marks a key milestone for the relationship: 10 years of strategic partnership. Shell has worked with the team across several iterations of technical regulations over the past decade, including some of the most advanced cars ever to grace the WRC stages. The partnership has produced an abundance of success, with the highlights being the celebration of two manufacturers’ titles together in 2019 and 2020. Furthermore, across the ten seasons to date, Hyundai Motorsport has had total engine reliability and no wear issues with the help of Shell Helix Ultra lubricants, which have been designed for ultimate engine performance without compromise.

To download high-resolution photos for editorial use, full drivers’ profiles, as well as other useful press information about the team please refer to: http://press.motorsport.hyundai.com/home


About Hyundai Motor Company

Established in 1967, Hyundai Motor Company is present in over 200 countries with more than 120,000 employees dedicated to tackling real-world mobility challenges around the globe. Based on the brand vision ‘Progress for Humanity,’ Hyundai Motor is accelerating its transformation into a Smart Mobility Solution Provider. The company invests in advanced technologies such as robotics and Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) to bring about revolutionary mobility solutions, while pursuing open innovation to introduce future mobility services. In pursuit of sustainable future for the world, Hyundai will continue its efforts to introduce zero emission vehicles equipped with industry-leading hydrogen fuel cell and EV technologies.


More information about Hyundai Motor and its products can be found at:

https://www.hyundai.com/worldwide/en/ or Newsroom: Media Hub by Hyundai

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